Academic Acceleration
by crabbyTomato
Summary: Lloyd finds himself in a new school after graduating from Twinkle Elementary. Skipped one year and is now in 8th grade along with older students. Follow his story as he meets new people, makes friends and enemies, and discovers weird facts about his new friend(s). (Loid's 1st person POV, friendship Loid/Ninten) Rated T for bullying and swearing. My first fanfic :)
1. Chapter 1 - It Starts

**Chapter 1: August 27, 199X - It Starts**

 _"But I'm a creep.._

 _I'm a weirdo.._

 _What the hell am I doing here?_

 _I don't belong here.."_

 _._

 _._

 _._

My name is Lloyd. I'm a 12 year old who lives in Merrysville, a small town in rural America. Today was a warm August day, and I was reading a book on my bed. My mother said she was going out to run a few errands, while Dad was almost never home, being busy working in his lab.

Speaking of which, I was reading a paper on his eccentric scientific experiments. Something to do with swamps. It's a good read, but my real interest is in mechanics and computers; the first thing I've ever read was Albert Einstein's papers on Relativity. Yeah, I'm not like normal kids. I read weird books, I liked different stuff. Even my looks weren't normal because I had albinism. My big, round glasses hiding my nearsighted red eyes and greyish-white hair made me stand out from the crowd, and anybody who stood out of the crowd was either feared or disliked. I happened to be the latter type. I am the school's de-facto punchbag. Had a bad day? Lloyd the weird short kid is there for you offering his face to your fist and his ear to your insults. I was driven to hide in a trash can on the roof more than once to get away from bullies. I hope I won't get to do that in middle school.

"Lloyd, honey. Come down here, we got news for you!", a voice hollered from downstairs, cutting off my internal monolog.

Oh god. This can't be good. Mom was seldom this chipper unless a disaster was bound to happen. With a groan, I folded the page I was reading, slid off my bed and trudged downstairs. I was surprised to see mom and dad sitting in the living room with a big grin plastered on their faces. Dad is here? What happened? I approached them with a wary look on my face. My gut feeling told me that I won't like what I will hear.

"Son, we are so proud of you," My dad started while mom was nodding.

"We've decided that since you're a very smart boy, we went to your new school and registered you in eighth grade," Mom spoke excitedly, "Your grades and academic performance are some of the best they've seen, so they agreed to advance you a whole year."

Wait WHAT? My face must have looked priceless because my dad's smile wavered for a bit.

"A.. Are you serious?" I said frantically. "Tell.. Tell me it's a joke, mom."

"Now, now," Mom cooed. "You're a smart boy and we want the best for you. This is an opportunity for you to shine and show that you are smarter than boys your age."

Here's the thing, I don't _need_ to prove that I am a ginormous nerd. This is just pushing my name higher in the school's list of nerdy dorks, if that was possible.

"But, mom, everyone would be older than me," I complained, looking at my dad for any sign of help.

"One year difference is hardly noticeable. You kids are all the same at this age," Dad asserted, apparently not taking my whining well. "It is already too late to get you back in seventh grade. And besides, most of them are your former classmates from elementary school. I think a fresh start away from those kids is a good thing for you."

"Your dad is right, dear. It's not as bad as you're making it out to be. I think you'll like it."

Ha! As if. But it's already done and I can't do anything about it.

"Okay," I shrugged. "I'm going back to my room."

"Alright honey. I'll go make dinner" Mom waved me off.

I climbed the stairs back to my room and shut the door. I looked at the calendar on the wall. It read August 27.

School starts in five days. Five days to dread the coming school year. I will be placed with older kids, with harder subjects in an all-new school. I hated it already. I huffed as I walked to my bookshelf. A good read on the theory of computation sounds like a good idea right now. Or maybe a Superman comic book. Yeah.

* * *

 **6:30 am**

 _*RING*_

The alarm clock was especially loud today.

"Eugh… Shut up!" I groaned as I felt around my nightstand for the pesky clock. I ended up knocking my glasses and the books I was reading last night on the floor. After a minute of fumbling around, I managed to grab the loud thing and turned it off with a 'thump'. Stupid thing, why did I need to set an alarm so early today anyway?

 _School, you dummy._

Oh right. I'll go back to sl-…

WAIT A MINUTE!

As if electrocuted, I jumped off bed and looked at the calendar. Today was the first day of school, and I hated being late. I picked up my glasses from the floor and spent ten minutes freshening up and pulling on my red T-shirt and brown shorts, quickly combing my hair and grabbing my backpack. I went downstairs to find that mom was probably still asleep and dad had already left. I grabbed a piece of toast for breakfast and got out of the house. It was a little cold outside, but the walk to the bus stop was brief. I had to wait a few minutes for the school bus to arrive. I noticed that I knew none of the kids that used to be with me in elementary. Two boys who looked like they were twins, but one was blond and the other was a ginger stood next to me at the stop. I kept my eyes to the ground, not wanting to start a conversation with anybody. They gave me curious looks but quickly returned to bickering with each other over something about omelettes. I don't even want to know.

The bus finally arrived, and I climbed in. The vehicle smelled of dusty old seats and a slight whiff of vomit. I ignored the stench and picked a seat, and stared at the window. The twins from the bus stop sat a row ahead of me.

"Lucas, this bus stinks!" I heard one of the twins complain. The ginger was apparently the funky one of the pair. The blond nodded sheepishly and sat next to his brother. The next stops saw the bus getting full of students. Luckily nobody sat next to me. I found it quite awkward to sit next to someone I hardly knew on the bus.

A few minutes later, the bus arrived at the school. A big building with a wide sports field behind it. I guess this is the kind of school that took its sports seriously. I hope there's _some_ attention left to the academic nerds like me, I thought as I followed the students filing into a line out of the bus. I had to go to the principal's office and get my classes. I had no idea where the principal's office was, but a good guess would be somewhere upstairs. I found an office that read 'Principal' on the door. That had to be it. Knocking lightly on the already open door, I stepped in and looked around. There was a desk with a ton of papers strewn on it and a cranky old lady sat behind it. Her desk had a name plaque that read "Pauline".

"Yes, what is it?" She lifted her head from the newspaper she was looking at. She had a murderous look on her face that made me wince. The yardstick that laid on the desk did not help improve her hostile image either. Who peed in your coffee today, ma'am?

"Uh, Um," I stammered, suddenly at a loss of words, "I am a n-new student a..a-and I need a schedule?" Epitome of eloquence right there.

"Name?" She looked back at her paper.

"Um, Lloyd." I felt dumb stuttering at my own name. I really wish I could get rid of this habit. I mentally kicked myself that I didn't give a last name. However, the secretary seemed to have recognized me, since, you know. Who named their son 'Lloyd' in this day and age?

"Ah, you're the boy who was skipped to eighth grade, yes?" Pauline took a yellow sheet of paper and filled it out. "You're going to have seven periods today, starting with science with Ms. Farrell. You'll find the room number next to its door, and a map at the stairs." She said dryly and handed me the paper and looked back at the newspaper she was reading.. She was reading obituaries?

"OK, um, thank you," I managed to say.

"Yeah, yeah. Get the hell outta here, kid." She waved off, not taking her eyes from the obituaries. I ran away quickly to the first floor looking for the science class. Sheesh.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So what do you think? I just really love Loid and every single MOTHER protagonist. Anyway, this is my first fan fiction story ever, so I'm still rough around the edges on formatting, storytelling and such. I'd appreciate some feedback/reviews/panning (if you find that this story sucks) etc.**

 **Non-American here, so I have no idea how American schools work, but I'll take cues from whatever I've read and seen about them.**

 **I will post the next two chapters _very_ soon. They're already written, but it's 2 AM right now here and I'm too sleepy to proofread the whole thing.**

 **Perfunctory Disclaimer: Although I abhor stating the obvious, Earthbound Beginnings (a.k.a MOTHER in Japan), Earthbound, Mother 3 and their respective characters do not belong to me. (yet)**


	2. Chapter 2 - Overly-Friendly Classmate

**Chapter 2: September 2, 199X - Overly Friendly Classmate**

"This place is massive."

I said to no one in particular. The science classroom was in the far side of the building, at the end of a lengthy hallway. Thank goodness they had taken their time to label rooms and place big guiding maps near the entrance of the school. Otherwise, I would have spent the better part of my school year looking for every single class, thanks to my terrible sense of direction.

I knocked on the door and opened it. I guess I took my time getting to class, seeing that Ms. Farrell had already started. I felt very self-conscious as everyone in the room stared at me, including a bemused Ms. Farrell.

"Hello, dear. We were just starting. Take a seat," Ms. Farrell said.

Not the type to tell their students to 'introduce' themselves? I won't complain. I took the front desk at the opposite corner of the class, which was empty thankfully.

"As I was saying, the first chapter will be about basic physics, including Newton's laws of motion," Ms. Farrell continued. "and I will give you a couple of questions to work on at home at the end of every class."

I heard groans from the back seats. Daily homework definitely sounded like a chore.

"This is to keep your understanding sharp. I know you kids won't look at your books otherwise," she said. Good point.

Suddenly a kid rushed into class, heavily panting.

"Sorry I'm late!" the boy announced loudly. I nearly jumped out of my skin, and the teacher shot an unimpressed look at the skinny boy who stood at the door. He wore a blue and yellow striped shirt half-tucked in a pair of denim shorts, blue shoes and red socks, and topping it all with a baseball cap hiding his black hair, with its bill pointing to the left to give a 'cool kid vibe' or something. I don't get hats, and I will never do.

"Ninten! I thought you promised not to be late to class this year," Ms. Farrell scolded in a disapproving tone.

"Heh. Sorry." The kid smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. Gosh, isn't he hyper. I think he's the kind of dumb but well-meaning kids. He seemed nice enough though.

"OK, go sit somewhere and don't cause much of a ruckus," Teacher said, turning to the blackboard. The boy, (Was his name Ninten? Really?) plopped himself down on the nearest empty seat, incidentally the one right next to me.

"Hi there. You're new here, right?" Ninten said. I felt my ears heat up to the unwanted attention.

"Y..Yeah," I stuttered quietly, not wanting to raise the teacher's ire.

"Nice to meet you. Name's Ninten. You?"

"Um, I'm Lloyd." Stuttering at my own name again. Feeling like a complete idiot, I looked at the desk, finding sudden interest in my hands.

"Whoa, your family's Welsh?"

"On my mom's side, yeah," I said, suddenly curious how did he figure it out. He let out a chuckle.

"Your name means 'gray' in Welsh, which kinda suits you, y'know," He said, looking at my hair.

Okay, he's not the kind of 'dumb, well-meaning kids'. At least not dumb.

"Oh.. Uh, t-thank you," I mumbled, guiltily embarrassed at my judgement of him.

"Anytime, pal," he said while picking up a notebook and a pencil from his backpack. We talked quietly afterwards, mostly him talking my ear off and me nodding. I learned that he's originally from Podunk, his twin sisters attended the same elementary I was in, and that he plays baseball.

That's cool and all, but I have to pay attention to the teacher. I don't want to be caught chatting during class. Wait, why's everyone so quiet?

"Boys, are you done with your talk show?" Ms. Farrell wore her unimpressed look for the second time today while the other kids in classroom snickered. Darn it. It's only the first period and I was making a fool of myself already. Ninten quickly thought of an excuse.

"Oh, sorry. I was asking Lloyd about this, uh, question there," Ninten quickly said, pointing to the already full blackboard. We were talking for that long already?

"Is that so? What does last year's baseball season have to do with a moving pendulum?" She flatly said. Some kids laughed at this point. I felt my entire face heat up in embarrassment.

"Oh, it's all moving balls," Ninten replied without missing a beat. The entire classroom roared with laughter. You're not helping, Ninten.

"Very funny, mister. You two will have to solve every question from the start of this book up to page 15 and hand it over by tomorrow," Ms. Farrell said, pointing a chalk-stained finger at us. Ninten looked like he was going to complain, but he figured that this would be less of a hassle than getting detention on his first day, so he shut up and placed his head on the desk.

"Man, Ms. Farrell is no fun," He grumbled, "Sorry I dragged you into this mess, Lloyd."

"It's.. Fine," I said while hurriedly trying to copy whatever the teacher scribbled on the blackboard. I had to busy myself with something, or Ninten would talk again. By the end of the class, the teacher gave one extra assignment for the whole class to solve, which both of us also had to work on. "Irrelevant," she told us when Ninten whined about having enough on his plate already, and walked out of class. Ninten glared at her back.

"Tsk. Anyway, what are your next classes before break?" Ninten turned his attention to me.

"I have History, English, and P.E."

"No way, me too!" He said excitedly. Which god did I anger so that they curse me with this hyperactive boy's company all day?

"Th-that's great, I think," I halfheartedly said.

"Come on, we don't wanna be late to class." He said, grabbing my wrist and dragging me to the next class. Great, I'm being dragged around by a loud, hyperactive kid whom I met an hour ago, but at least I won't have to keep looking for every classroom.

"We're here." Ninten came to a sudden stop in front of the classroom, and I crashed right into his back.

"Oomf." I stepped back and righted my skewed glasses. I noticed that I hadn't taken a good look at Ninten until now. He was really wiry and thin, but a good three inches taller than me. He was still holding onto my wrist, and my hand was starting to feel numb already. I noted that his skin was so pale I could see blue veins underneath. And I called myself pasty thanks to my genetic affliction.

"C'mon, what are you waiting for? Let's get in already." Ninten tugged on my arm as he went in. Oh well, I could totally see today will be a full day's serving of his chipper presence, so I better get used to it.


	3. Chapter 3 - Day with Ninten

**Chapter 3 - Day with Ninten**

I hate history.

And I hate the teacher's bald head and his stupid class. What was his name again? I think I forgot because his ceaseless droning feels like a chisel hacking away at my brain cells. Who cares if the United States' independence was in 1776? I sure didn't. Ninten seemed to share my loathing for the class. He was doodling penguins and weird figures that looked like men with bird heads on his notebook. After a while he placed a snip of paper under my nose. I picked it up.

'Does he have to talk about all of that on the first day of school?' It read. There was a fairly funny doodle of the teacher with an exaggerated bald head that read 'Your Ad Here'. I stifled a laugh that almost escaped me. I coughed to cover it up. I picked my pen up and wrote my reply.

'Boring teachers do boring stuff. Just deal with it.' I handed him the note. Not wanting to start another round of note-passing, I feigned interest in whatever the teacher was talking about and hoped this would end soon.

As if whoever was up in the sky listened to my last thought, the bell rang signalling the end of this abominable lecture. Ninten quickly bounded out of class and I followed slowly afterwards. We had English next.

"Hey Lloyd, I need to go to the bathroom real quick. Catch you at class?" Ninten said as soon as I walked out of the room.

"But I don't know where's the class," I said and then mentally cringed. This was a golden chance for some peace and quiet and I blew it. Good going, Lloyd.

"OK then. Wait for me here." And he bolted to wherever the restrooms were. I sighed and looked down. This guy is a real handful, but at least he's willing to stick around. Back in elementary I was invisible to everyone save for whoever bullied me. I think he was a welcome change. Maybe we'll be friends if I…

Suddenly, I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder cutting off my thoughts and whirled me around to face two taller boys. Weren't those two sitting in the back during science? They had predatory grins on their faces. Oh no.

"Hey, dwarf," The shorter one of the pair, with shaggy brown hair and an ill-advised peach fuzz-moustache lining his upper lip spoke in a menacing tone, "You look like a smart kid, eh?"

The taller greasy-haired blond guy nodded stupidly in agreement and thrust a couple notebooks in my face. I could where this was going.

"You're the smartest kid in Merrysville. Aren't you, dwarf?" Shaggy Hair said.

Dwarf? Really, couldn't he get any more original? I was genuinely at a loss of words.

"What's the matter, kid? Cat got your tongue?" Greasy Hair jeered. Those two floored me with their 'originality'. Twinkle Elementary material, no doubt.

"Check out his weird-ass eyes. You possessed, dwarf?"

"Uhm.. Uh." I managed to get out, trying to say something coherent, but couldn't. Cat seemed to have gotten my tongue indeed.

"Humph. I want it done by tomorrow morning, dwarf." The shorter guy said before turning away. The other one pushed my shoulder hard. Not expecting the push, I yelped and stumbled to the floor.

"And if you don't, you'll get a good pummelin' with those babes". Blondie motioned to his rather beefy fists, then followed his 'boss', I guess. Oh god this was so cliché. I would have laughed my head off had I read this in a book or seen it in a movie. I hurried up to my feet and picked up the discarded notebooks. Ow, I think I landed a bit too hard. I winced as I straightened my shirt and dusted my pants. Ninten came out from around the corner as I hid the notebooks in my bag.

"Sorry I was late," He said cheerfully. His smile faltered when he looked at my face.

"Dude, are you OK? You look a little on edge." He frowned, concern audible in his voice.

"Huh? I-I'm fine," I lied, not wanting him to know that I was just ambushed by a duo who looked like the real-life incarnations of Rocky and Mugsy.

"Hmm? All right, then." He didn't seem to be convinced. He shrugged anyway and grabbed my wrist again. I swear it'll end up bruised and sore by recess.

"Let's go to Mr. English!" He cried out as he dashed to our next class, with me in tow. Wait, Mr. English? And he teaches English? That's ironic.

True to Ninten's word, our English teacher is indeed called Mr. English, who happens to be also English, as in from the country in the United Kingdom. I could tell by his accent. He seemed nice enough. Weird choice of clothes, though. A green vest and a green bowtie? I won't judge.

The class was mostly introductory, with Mr. English talking briefly about the course and what would we be taking. He expects a group of two students to write about a short topic to talk about at the end of every week. Ninten groaned.

"Heck, does everyone in this school get a kick out of working us to the bone?" He whined as he listened to Mr. English as he was talking about giving us a quiz. A quiz? On the first day? Few panicked murmurs echoed in class. Ninten especially looked like he was going to be ill.

"Now, now." He said, cutting off the students. "This won't have any effect on your grades, and there are no right or wrong answers. I just want to know how you guys respond to various teaching methods." I guessed it was a good idea.

"A quiz that I won't get an F in? Awesome." Ninten visibly relaxed. I patiently waited as Mr. English handed out a paper for each student. The quiz started by asking us our full names and dates of birth, followed by a survey of 100 questions, with answers being a gradient from "strongly disagree" to "neutral/uncertain" all the way to "strongly agree". I began checking off answers. Seems like a personality test of some sort.

"One hundred questions? This'll take forever!" I heard some girl behind me complain. Mr. English flashed the girl a Hollywoodian smile. This guy could've worked in the modelling industry. Change him from his weird dorky-even-by-my-standards garb and put him into a suit. Bam, you get a model fit for a really expensive brand or something. If I was a girl, I'd totally have the hots for the guy.

I shook my head and focused on the question about enjoying having a wide circle of acquaintances and checked "Strongly Disagree".

"You can do whatever you want after finishing it up. I won't teach a lesson today." He said, still flashing his toothy grin.

Soon, I handed over my sheet and busied myself with looking at Ninten filling out his yet half-finished sheet. He was squinting at a word.

"Hey, Lloyd," He nudged me. "What on earth does 'meticulous' mean?" He asked, mangling the word as he spoke.

"It means precision and a lot of attention to details," I answered.

"Ugh. I hate English and its _convoluted_ vocabulary". He murmured, stressing 'convoluted' to emphasize his contempt. He quickly skimmed through the second half of the questionnaire and handed it over. We spent the remainder of class chatting about nothing. I learned that Ninten has a dog called 'Mick', plays the guitar, and that his dad works as a detective and he wants to be like him when he grows up. He discovered I was skipped a grade, that I was an only child, that I really like rockets, fireworks and computers, and that I want to be a computer engineer when I grow up. We both discovered we liked reading comics. I never spoke to anyone my age this long or without feeling extremely awkward. It was something I could definitely get used to.

The bell rang as Mr. English collected the last couple sheets. He wished us a nice day as he went out. We followed soon after. I remembered that I had P.E. next. Ninten seemed to have noticed my discomfort and smiled empathetically.

"Not looking forward for P.E. huh?"

"No. I have the strength of a marshmallow." I mumbled.

"Yeah, well, I don't think we'll do anything much today," Ninten said, doing his mad dash to next class while grabbing my now-sore wrist. This time Ninten blurted out a 'Whoosh' as we got out into the field behind school. Was this kid ever serious?

Our P.E. teacher, Mr. O'Donnell, was a strong-looking, albeit sweaty man who looked like he featured in those Get-Fit ads on TV. Shorts, a sweater on top of a tank-top, baseball cap and sneakers. Thankfully, we had to do nothing today since most of the students didn't bring PE clothes with them, including me. I noticed that the twins I saw on the bus stop were there too. I spent most of the P.E period walking around the baseball with Ninten while he talked about baseball. I told him that my knowledge of baseball was as good as nothing. He then started talking excitedly about pitching, home-runs and a lot of things I couldn't follow. He accidentally bumped into the blond twin, knocking each other down. What was his name? Luis? Luke?

"Oh. I'm sorry, I couldn't see you there," Ninten apologized as he went to help the blond kid up.

"It's fine. I didn't see you either." Blond kid sat up. A second later, Ninten found himself tackled to the ground by an angry ginger with eyes that screamed murder.

"What the hell do you think you were doing to my brother, you jackass?" He gritted, with an arm pressing down on Ninten's neck in a chokehold.

"Claus! Claus, get off him, he didn't do anything!" Luigi.. Er, Leo(?) grabbed his twin's shoulders and managed to get him off the black-haired boy's neck. Ninten sat up as he wheezed and coughed for air. His face had a blue tint as he hacked. I was starting to panic.

"Ninten, what's wrong?" I asked as I kneeled next to him. He was frantically reaching for his left pocket, but his hands were shaking hard. I reached in his pocket and found something in there. Pulling it out, it looked like a blue inhaler. Ninten had asthma?

"Good going, idiot. You just choked an asthmatic kid," I yelled, glaring at the ginger who looked like he had just killed someone. He would if I didn't do something now and quick. I placed the inhaler in Ninten's mouth. "Breathe, Ninten. Breathe" I said, trying to sound as soothing as I could in my panicking state.

Ninten took several puffs from the inhaler and then took a deep breath and coughed.

"I.. " cough. "I'm okay." Ninten wheezed and coughed again.

No I think you're not.

The incident apparently caught the attention of the rest of the class as they gathered around us in a circle. Their huddling wasn't exactly helping Ninten's need for air now. Mr. O'Donnell saw the whole thing and began breaking up the crowd.

"Move it y'all. Let him breathe!" He ordered as he pushed some onlooking boys away.

"I-.. I'm really sorry. I didn't know.. I didn't mean..," Claus guiltily said. He stood in front of Ninten, frozen and apparently on the verge of tears. His brother picked up Ninten's dropped hat and gave it to him.

"I'm sorry, Ninten. Claus didn't know you had asthma. You'll forgive my hasty brother, will you?" He apologized profusely. Ninten nodded and waved away as he sat up and took several deep breaths.

"You want me to call an ambulance or something?" Mr. O'Donnell said, concern visible in his eyes.

"I'll be OK," Ninten said as he stood up. He gave Mr. O'Donnell a thumbs-up indicating that he was fine.

"Go to the nurse. You there. Kid in the red tee. Go with him." Mr. O'Donnell motioned to me. I grabbed Ninten's wrist as we went back to the school building. It felt a little weird that I was the one dragging Ninten along. I stopped for a second to check the map. The nurse's office was on the right. We arrived at the nurse's office and the nurse sitting there stood when she saw Ninten's paler-than-usual face.

"Oh gosh, was it another attack?" She said.

"I-I don't know," I said. She helped Ninten on the cot. I looked down and thought about what just happened. One minute Ninten bumped into a kid, and the minute next he was put in a chokehold by an angry overprotective brother. After a few minutes the nurse spoke up.

"Doesn't seem like a full-on asthma attack. You were rattled up though. I suggest you take a short rest here. I'll go bring you something to drink. What would you like?"

"Juice," He said.

"OK, and you, dear?" She asked me.

"Same," I replied. With that the nurse left. I noticed that Ninten's head was downcast and he was very still. It looked so unlike him not to be animated and active. It was disconcerting.

"Ninten?" I quietly called as I approached him. "Are you alright?"

Ninten raised his head and looked at me straight in the eyes. His face was red and tears were streaming down his face.

"Lloyd!" He croaked as he threw his arms around me. "Lloyd I almost died out there," he said as he sobbed. I didn't know what to say. I thought he was overreacting a little, but I could understand though. Being choked was never a pleasant experience.

"There, there," I said, rubbing circles around his back. He seemed to relax a little.

"Thank you," he said into my shoulder, "You saved my life."

OK, he was _really_ overreacting.

"Oh, pshaw! I - I didn't do anything," I stammered as I patted his shoulders and gently pushed him at an arm's length. The smile on his face was of genuine gratitude. I felt my face heat up at that. I'm not used to this. Really. Why me?

"I'm back, boys." Ninten quickly wiped his face and sat back on the bed as the nurse came back with three cartons of juice.

"Orange juice? Ugh, it tastes like death," Ninten said, making a face at the carton. "Thank you, nurse." He smiled and grabbed one and tossed the other to me. I fumbled with the surprise toss and almost dropped the juice.

"Good catch," He quipped.

"I'm glad you're feeling better already," the nurse commented bemusedly. "Now run along. Fourth period must've ended by now. Enjoy the rest of your recess."

"Right. Thanks again," Ninten said as he grabbed my wrist with one hand and the other holding the carton of juice up, and got out of the room. Once we were back in the field Ninten spoke up.

"What have you got after recess?"

"I got Math, French and Social Studies." I read from my schedule.

"Aw, you're in none of my classes," he noted. "Listen, since we have a big assignment to do by tomorrow, can I come over after school so we do it together?"

Ninten.. A kid I met today. Coming over? To my house? To _my room_? Oh hell no!

"Sure, okay."

 _I'm an idiot!_

"Great. Meet you here after seventh?"

"You bet."

"Awesome. See ya then." He quickly pulling me into a hug then dashed in the opposite direction of where my classes were.

What did I just agree on? I never had a friend come over. I haven't told my mom. What if he's put off by all the weird nerdy junk I had there? What if mom didn't approve of someone coming over? Ugh!

Also, where did that hug come from?

I spent the remainder classes dreading his visit.

* * *

 **Author's Note: TOUCHY-FEELY NINTEN FTW. Also, I'm ok with ClausTen, but it won't feature in this fanfic. Lucas and Claus aren't the main focus of this fanfic.**

 **Speaking of cameos, one of the teachers is based upon a character from a well-known webcomic. I think most of you know whom am I talking about, right? (A cookie for whoever guesses it first)**

 **-Reply to Anonymous: Thank you! ^^ I know, right? Loid deserves much more love.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Zombies and Fireworks

**Chapter 4 - Zombies and Fireworks Shenanigans**

Classes without Ninten felt dull. I thought I was thrust back into my old elementary school again — Droning teachers and boring kids. I was back to being invisible, save for the few curious gawkers. Those quickly lost interest and continued with whatever they were doing. At least I was glad nobody sat next to me despite being in front row.

As I was entering my last class for today, a rough shove from behind made me trip and fall face-first on the floor. I heard a snicker as I looked back at whoever pushed me. My face fell when I saw the two bullies from earlier passing by with a smug smirk on their faces, apparently happy with themselves at making me fall in front of everyone in class. I stood and kept my eyes down, too embarrassed to look at anyone. I picked my seat in front of the class and kept staring intently at the desk in front of me. A few minutes later, the teacher came in and began her class. I was a bit focused on what the teacher was talking about, so I was startled when something wet and small slapped the back of my neck. I reached back and picked it up, it was a small balled up piece of paper. A spitball.

Gross, and also quite immature. I already had a pretty good idea who threw it at me. I shot a glare at the pair of buffoons at the back of the room. They were snickering to themselves while the shorter one flipped me off and mouthed something I couldn't follow. Not that I wanted to know, anyway.

I kept my gaze forward, trying to ignore those idiots for now. I knew telling on them would make me look worse. A 'nerd', and also a 'tattletale'? This would make every bully in the country jump on me like flies on crap. I tried my best to ignore them, which obviously didn't work. Those two were relentless, and with really good aim. Sticky, wet balls of paper pelted me in the neck, hair, ears, face and glasses. I wasn't sure how the teacher failed to notice the spitballs practically raining on me, but she was too absorbed in talking about American culture. A while later a heavy object clocked me in the side of the head right above my ear. I winced and clutched my injured temple. Looking down, I saw a metal pencil sharpener on the floor with a slip of paper wedged inside it. I picked it up and rolled out the attached note. The front side of it read 'freak', and the back had 'fucking wuss' in all-caps scrawled on it. Great. It's only been a day and I've already been called a freak, a wuss, dwarf and possessed. This is going to be a really nice year. Not.

The teacher was still immersed in talking about her love of "this fine nation's diverse culture". Ugh.

By the time the last period's bell rang I was ready to go home running.

I spotted Ninten bouncing on his heels in front of the hallway where I last saw him. It seemed he was eager to get out of this place too.

"What took you so loooong?" He complained as soon as he caught sight of me. His playful grin indicated he was joking.

"A long-winded teacher is what took me so long." I said dryly, "Now let's get going." I told him as I passed him on way to the buses. I may have sounded a bit harsh because his smile fell a little.

"Right." He followed, slightly puzzled why I was in a foul mood. Well, a shower of saliva-moistened balls of paper and a pencil sharpener to the head can uplift anyone's mood, right? I stopped and looked for the bus I rode to school this morning.

"Which way to your bus?" Ninten asked as he followed up.

"That one." I pointed at one of the parked vehicles. I just saw Claus and his twin climb up there, so I assumed it had to be the same one I rode to school this morning. We climbed in and passed by the pair of twins. Claus staring holes into his lap while his twin, (Larry? Linus? I hate forgetting names) gave us an apologetic look and glared at his brother. He seemed to have something to say, so I tugged on Ninten's arm as we passed them so we wouldn't have to stop and talk, dragging the confused taller boy a couple rows behind. A minute later, Ninten tried to start a conversation.

"So, mind telling me what's wrong?" He piped up.

"What's wrong with what?"

"They clearly wanted to talk to us, Lloyd." He pointed to the twins ahead and continued, "You literally dragged me past them, though."

"Oh, um.. I, uh, didn't want to stop and talk because the bus was ready to move. Er, yeah." I had to quickly think of a lame excuse. Ninten wasn't convinced.

"Riiight." He drawled, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Anyway, good going back at P.E., Lloyd. Never thought you had in ya."

"Hm?"

"You called Claus, who's almost twice your size, an idiot." He laughed. Wait. I actually did call him that?

"Oh. Oh no. He's gonna have my head for that." I panicked. Ninten laughed at my growing misery.

"Nah," he said through his laughs. He leaned closer and whispered, "Tell you the truth, you should've seen how he looked like a kicked puppy all day. I think he knew he deserved it."

"M-maybe." I stammered, feeling awkward from the invasion of personal space. Ninten looked at my hair.

"There's something in your hair." He said. Before I reached up, his hand was already in my hair and gently plucked something out.

"Someone was throwing spitballs at you?" He said, still examining my hair. I nodded, feeling a blush creeping up my face. This kid had no definition of personal space. I decided not to tell him about the two bullies who made my day hell, though.

"It was during social studies. C-couldn't figure out who, though." I muttered. He plucked off at least half a dozen of wadded up papers from my hair. I secretly admitted that I liked his toying with my hair more than I should have. It was too soothing.

A few minutes later, we reached our bus stop. Right, time go get off. I stood up and motioned for Ninten to get up. As soon as we hopped off the bus, someone called from behind us.

"Hey, wait up." Turning around, it was Claus and his twin. I gave them a wary look and hid slightly behind Ninten. I did call him an idiot back in P.E and I don't want him to remember that and strangle me too. He stood in front of us and looked everywhere but at us. Jeez, even when he was slouching he had a good head on Ninten.

"Um, er.. Listen.. About, uhh.. You know." He began, stumbling over his words and gesturing anxiously with his hands. His blond twin elbowed him.

"Get on with it already, Claus." He gritted. It was obvious he was forcing his twin to apologize. I should remember to thank him later. Probably ask him his name too.

"Damn. Okay, uh.. Look, I was an absolute ass back in P.E.," He rushed, face red in embarrassment. "and I'm sorry I choked you." He glared at his brother, as if to say 'are you happy now?'. Tense, awkward silence loomed over our heads. I hid further behind Ninten, eyes shifting between the siblings and Ninten.

"Oh, it's no biggie," Ninten chirped. "It was just a misunderstanding." The two perked up at that.

"So, we're cool?" They said in unison. Bah, twins.

"Chill as penguins." Ninten replied, raising both his fists. The two bumped fists with him.

"Great. See you later, Ninten." Claus's blond-haired twin said as they turned away towards their house.

"You too, Lucas." Ninten called.

Aha, it was Lucas! Right. I made a mental note not to forget his name.

"Bye." I waved shyly, still hiding behind Ninten. I must've looked hilarious, because when Ninten turned around and saw me cowering behind him he was laughing to the point of tears.

"What?" I exclaimed, a little peeved.

"You should've seen your face. It was like you've seen a ghost." He chortled. "You really thought Claus stopped us because you called him an idiot?"

I half-heartedly punched his arm and turned towards my house. He followed with a skip in his pace. _Cheery as always,_ I noted, feeling a slight pang of jealousy. It was like he was without a care in the world. After a short while of stewing in my thoughts, I found myself standing in my house's front lawn.

"Here we are." I said. I started to feel anxious. What if mom didn't approve of me having someone over? What if Ninten thinks everything in my room is too nerdy and then makes fun of it? What if I make a fool of myself or prove to be a lousy host? What if..

"Aren't we coming in?" Ninten nudged me out of my thoughts. Right. Going inside. We should probably do that.

"Sure. Yeah." I stepped forward and opened the door then stepped aside, letting him follow. I looked around and didn't find mom in the living room.

"Mom, I'm home." I called. She poked her head out of the kitchen, and noticed me.

"Welcome back, dear. How was your day?" She replied, then she noticed Ninten standing beside me. "Who's your friend?"

"Um. Mom, t-this is Ninten. He's my classmate."

"Nice to meet you, dear." She replied. "Nobody visits Lloyd here, so have fun you two." She sweetly said and returned to her business in the kitchen. Great, she just told Ninten that I had no friends who came over, not that it's not painfully obvious. Thank you dear mother for embarrassing me already.

"Uh. Lloyd?" Ninten started. Was he going to comment on the fact that I had no friends? "I need to call my mom and tell her I'm at your place."

"Phone. Yes. Um- it's right over there." I pointed to the phone sitting on the end table across the room. Ninten walked over, picked up the receiver and dialled a number. I told him I was going to the bathroom real quick. As I exited, I overheard Ninten talk to his mom over the phone.

"Yup. Yeah. Of course I'll be back before dinner. Awesome. Yeah. Love you too, mama. Bye." He hung up and turned around.

"Let's go to my room." I said and motioned for him to follow me upstairs. Alright, here goes nothing. I opened the door, letting Ninten into 'my sanctuary'.

"Good afternoon, Lloyd." A mechanical voice sounded from inside the room. Ninten jumped out of his skin and almost knocked me backwards.

"What was that?" He said, looking around for the source of the robotic voice. He spotted my computer. "Was that.. Did your computer just say hi?"

"Y-Yes." I said. We just got in and it was already pouring out nerdiness. I should've known better. Where's the nearest trashcan when you need it?

"That is so _COOL_." He gushed and ran towards the PC.

Huh?

"Pardon?" I dumbly asked.

"A computer that can greet you, that's so awesome." He was still fawning over my 'talking' computer. I'm not gonna tell him that I programmed it myself to say hi whenever I opened the door.

"Did you program it to do that?"

"Yeah." _Shut up, Lloyd. Just.. Shut up._

"Cool. What else can it do?"

"Nothing much. I play SimCity on it all the time. It's my favorite game".

"That's really neat." Ninten hummed and flopped down on the floor in the middle of the room. "Let's do Ms. Farrell's annoying homework for now, shall we?" I nodded in agreement and sat crosslegged in front of him.

Homework took an hour or so. Ninten kept complaining about our teachers' seemingly sadistic urges to watch the whole world burn. Once we were finished, Ninten flopped down on his back and yelled "Hallelujah, we're done!"

I smiled, took off my glasses and rubbed my tired eyes.

"Yeah, finally." I said and looked at him. He sat up and picked my glasses out of my hand and put them on his face.

"Whoa, everything is so small and far away." He said, flailing his arms.

"That's because they are nearsighted glasses." I said while squinting to get a better view of Ninten in my glasses. He must've looked like an absolute dweeb. My eyesight was so bad I couldn't see him well despite sitting a few feet away. Ninten looked over from my eyeglasses and took a long look at my face. I couldn't notice his expression, but I could tell he was staring at me intently.

"What.."

"You know, this might sound like a super creepy thing to say, but you have really pretty eyes." He said.

The aforementioned unfocused eyes widened as I felt my whole face turn scarlet in embarrassment. I tried coming up with a reply, but all I got was spluttering, flustered sounds. Ninten chuckled as he returned my glasses on my face. The world suddenly returned to focus. I blinked and looked up at him.

Ninten looked around and noticed the consoles lying under the small TV next to my bed.

"Is.." Ninten took a sharp breath. "No way, you actually have a Super Nintendo!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah. Wanna play?" I asked, "I don't have many two-player games, but I got Battletoads in Battlemaniacs and Zombies Ate my Neighbors". I pointed to the bunch of cartridges stacked under the TV. I stood up and grabbed a second SNES controller from my drawer and walked over to Ninten, who was starting up the console. He picked up Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

"Let's try this one." He said as he plugged the game cartridge in. Ninten picked Zeke and I played as Julie. We spent the next two hours mowing down Dr. Tongue's crazed zombies with water guns, tomatoes, crucifixes and soda cans.

"Dude, come this way." Ninten said while going into a diner. "AHA! Found a key!" He yelled.

A while later we grow bored of the game. Ninten unplugged his controller and walked over to drop it in the drawer I picked it up from.

"Hey are those bottle rockets?" He turned around with one of them in hand.

"Y-yeah. They're left over from the last fourth of July festival."

"Hm." He nodded, expression thoughtful. Then, a slightly evil grin crept over his face. "Wanna light one up?"

"I- I'd like to, but.. I don't think mom would allow it."

"She doesn't need to know. Just grab a lighter from downstairs." He had a point.

"All right, let's go to the backyard." I opened the door and quickly went down the stairs and to the back door, Ninten closely following behind.

"I'll go get a lighter. Wait there." I told him as I went to the kitchen. I thanked my luck that mom wasn't there for a reason. I snatched a lighter by the stove and made a beeline towards the backyard. Ninten stood there with his hands behind his back wearing a poker face.

"Did you bring the goods?" Ninten asked in an undertone.

"Right there", I extended my palm and he hummed in approval. He squatted down and wedged the bottle rocket in the dirt, supporting it with two pebbles. Satisfied with his work, he got up and flashed me a giddy grin.

"You get the honor of lighting it up." He mock-bowed, gesturing towards the bottle rocket.

"You're such a goof." I laughed.

"Hah, you wish!" He replied. "Come on, light it up already!"

"Okay." I walked over to the rocket and lit up its fuse, then retreated frantically. I accidentally knocked a pebble loose, so the lit up rocket ended up pointing towards us. Oh no.

"DUCK!" I yelled, tackling Ninten down as the rocket flew over our heads. We looked up and watched it hit a nearby trashcan and explode. A cat with singed back fur screeched out, scampering out of sight.

A moment later I got off of Ninten and sat up. We were speechless for a minute, exchanging semi-horrified looks between the bombed up trashcan and each other's face. Ninten soon cracked up, then he was laughing hard. I was laughing along too.

"Did we just zap a stray cat with a bottle rocket?" He said through his fit, wiping a tear from his eye.

"We did." I laughed. "I feel bad for the poor thing."

Laughter died down in a few minutes. Ninten shook his head while chuckling, then suddenly seemed to have remembered something.

"It's getting late. I should probably go home."

"Oh. Okay then, let me get your backpack." I hurried up to my room, gathered Ninten's homework and placed it in his backpack, then I went back to the front porch where Ninten was waiting.

"It was really fun today." He said as I handed him his rucksack. "We should probably do this again sometime soon."

"Yeah, absolutely." I said, shifting awkwardly, not sure how to say bye. I remembered Ninten and the twins exchanging fist bumps, so I figured it'd be the 'cool way' of parting ways, I raised my fist for him. Instead he pulled me into a tight hug.

"Bye, Lloyd." Ninten chimed as he backed away and skipped out, waving. I waved back, too dumbfounded to reply. What was with him and hugs? I watched him leave for a little while then went inside.

But he said he would come over again. I smiled widely and skipped off to my room. My elated mood drew curious looks from mom, but I didn't care that much. I was too happy that I made a friend today. I spent the rest of the night remembering my day with Ninten. For the first time, I was actually looking forward for school tomorrow.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was forgetting something important. Probably nothing, though. I set my alarm and went to bed.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh my god, you people actually liked it so far. You guys are the best.**

 **I'm sorry I couldn't update it sooner though, had a problem with their login page so I had to wait the glitch out.**

 **Connor the Spelling Pro: Hey, mate. Thanks, and yeah Ninten is basically the second main character in this story, and he would have plenty of time in the spotlight. Also, just wanted to say that I absolutely love 'Ceres' so far. ^_^**

 **adricarra: Muchas gracias. :) I agree Ninten's asthma seems to be a central theme in any story that features him. I also think it's cute in a weird way too. XD**

 **Pippy: Oh thank you! :D I'm glad you're liking this story so far. I'll try my best to keep it that way.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Ninten's Doppelgänger

**Author's Notes: Had to fix some _embarrassing_ grammar/context errors in the previous chapters. I'll keep an eye out for anything that slips through the cracks.**

 **Trigger warning: This chapter (and the one next) would feature some bullying and swearing. This one won't be as bad as the next one, though. I think the next chapter would be online in a few hours at best. Maybe tomorrow if I slacked. Stay tuned, because there will be a nice little surprise.**

 **Also, Thank you all for your lovely reviews. I honestly wasn't expecting this story getting this much positive feedback.**

 **Connor the Spelling Pro: I'm really glad you don't have to deal with bullies. (Because nerds seem to be the ones who are making billions these days. _AS THEY SHOULD._ XD) As for Lloyd's computer, I figure it's the same mechanism that automatic doors work. I try to keep technology in the early 90s, so the internet is a new thing and Earthbound won't get released for at least a year later.**

 **adricarra: I think they are the cutest. That's why Lloyd and Ninten are my favourite characters in Earthbound Beginnings. And yeah, Ninten is a natural prankster/troublemaker (in a good way ofc) Read on if you wanna know what happens with the bullies' forgotten homework.**

 **idonthaveanaccou: Thank you! :D Ninten might be a little touchy-feely. Expect more hugs in the chapters to come. ^^**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: September 3, 199X - Ninten's Doppelgänger**

 _'_ _It is my pleasure to announce my latest invention — This device fits in your pocket, however it is a tiny computer that doubles as a video player, a phone, a camera and an Internet communicator. I call it the Smart Phone. With it, you can call your mom from anywhere in the world, surf the Internet and take pictures of your lunch to share with everyone!'_

 _Thousands of people applaud. 'YOU'RE THE JESUS OF COMPUTERS, LLOYD!' One of the admirers raved._

 _'Thank you. Thank you.'_

 **6:30 am**

 _*RING*_

"Unghhh.." I buried my face deeper into the pillow, hoping that the alarm clock would somehow shut up on its own. Grumbling, I slapped around my nightstand and silenced the screeching contraption for today. I got up and rubbed my tired eyes. I was having the weirdest dream. Something about a pocket-sized computer/telephone mashup. I should probably stop watching too much science fiction. Also maybe sleep more than three hours a day too.

I grabbed my glasses and went to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, staring at my reflection in the mirror. Ugh, look at this bedhead. I look like I've been attacked.

' _You have really pretty eyes.'_

Do I? I leaned towards the mirror, taking a closer look at the tired face that stared back. Freckles dusted my nose bridge and cheekbones, dark circles lined the skin underneath my eyes indicating lack of sleep. I always thought my eyes were weird and unpleasant to look at — Creamy-white eyelashes and unnatural reddish-pink irises that I always hid behind large, round glasses. I don't know why Ninten thought they were pretty, but this is _Ninten_ we're talking about. I shrugged and walked away from the mirror. I shouldn't think too much of this.

I took a warm shower, then endured an icy stream of cold water to shake off the remaining sleepiness. I remember reading somewhere about this being called a Scottish shower? Not sure. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. I shivered as I felt a frigid breeze once I stepped out of the bathroom. Brr, who left the windows open?

Stepping quickly out of the drafty corridor back into my room, I dried myself and fished out a fresh pair of shorts and a red tee. I dressed and went downstairs. Mom wasn't awake yet and dad was already out, assuming he actually came back yesterday. Usually he pulled multiple all nighters in his lab working on heavens-knew-what. After a quick breakfast of a toast and a glass of milk, I had a good fifteen minutes to reach the bus stop. I grabbed my backpack and sauntered out to the bus stop.

Mornings were always calm here, and I loved the comfortable silence. I walked towards the bus stop, which was at the other end of the street. It was deserted when I got there. Did I arrive too early? I stood for a few minutes in the empty street, and waited. A while later, the bus pulled over. I climbed into the bus and sat further back. I scrunched my nose at the bus' stench, but endured it through the ride. I noticed the twins were nowhere to be found. Weird, but most likely they decided to walk instead of riding in this stinky vehicle. Once I was at the school's front gate, I looked in my backpack for the schedule sheet. I had Music for first period.

Hold on. I don't remember bringing two extra notebooks. Especially not this one adorned with bombs and skull stickers. I fished out the two mystery notebooks and examined them.

 _It's the bullies' notebooks. You're_ ** _so_** _in for it, kid._

Oh.

Oh no. I totally forgot about that! Well. Science was right after recess, so I have time. However, an indignant part of me protested. Why should I even do their homework? It's not my job to do their work, and they have no right to—

An abrupt heavy hand landed on my shoulder, startling me out of my thoughts.

"Well, if it ain't my favorite dork in school! How are you doing, _friend_?" It was Shaggy Hair and his cohort. He spat the word 'friend' as if it were an insult. He had the audacity to call me his friend, after all. I slowly turned around to find them looking down at me, wearing their usual predatory smirk. The greasy-haired blond snatched their notebooks from my grip.

"Hand the homework over, kid."

 _Dammit._ What should I do? I was going to make a run for it, but I had my back against the wall and those two blocked any escape attempt, so I stood there like a deer in headlights as Shaggy Hair inspected his notebook.

"Is this some kind of a damn joke, dwarf?" To say he was livid was a grand understatement. His face was all red and veins protruded from his neck. He threw the notebook at my face and grabbed me by the collar.

"Are you taking me for an idiot, you little shit?" He yelled. Oh well, I'm in for a beating. And so early in the morning, too. My gaze shifted to the floor, not daring to say a word.

"Answer him, twerp!" Greasy Hair shoved me.

"If you didn't do our homework, then we'll take yours. It's only fair this way." I was going to protest his skewed sense of justice before he commanded, "Get his bag." I hugged the bag close and stepped back, back glued against the wall. I wasn't going to let them take it. The taller blond approached and cracked his knuckles, apparently about to knock the living daylights out of me. They were interrupted by someone coughing behind them.

"Boys. Is there a problem?" They whirled around to find the history teacher standing in front of them. His humorless expression indicated he'd probably seen them do this before.

"Nothing, sir." Shaggy Hair licked his peach-fuzz moustache and fixed me a reptilian stare, "We were just talking."

The teacher stepped forward and shooed them away. "Talk later. Your classes should start soon. Run along, you three." He said, standing in between the taller boys, motioning for them to follow him.

'I'll be back for you', Shaggy Hair mouthed, then followed the teacher along with his sidekick.

I watched them walk away. I could hear my pulse thumping loud in my ears. It took me a minute to notice that my face was wet. I was crying already? I leaned against the school's wall for a minute until my rapid heartbeat slowed down. I'm such a wuss for being overwhelmed this easily. Had not the history teacher intervened, I would've ended up in worse shape.

I really need to see Ninten. I could use a friendly face. I walked over to the large map at the front and got directions for Music class. I walked into class. Ninten was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he doesn't have this class with me, or he's late? I found Lucas in class. He gave me a smile as I greeted him and sat in the seat in front of him. A minute later, the teacher walked in. She was a middle-aged, portly woman with a kind face and had her red hair tied in a ponytail. She introduced herself as Mrs. Walsh and began her class.

Through the entire class, I kept staring at the door, wishing that Ninten would somehow appear. However, class came and went and Ninten didn't show up. Perhaps he's in next class, but I saw hide nor hair of the dark-haired boy. It was recess time. I was sitting frozen through the previous class; I'm alone and the two bullies were bound to come after me, and recess was the best time they'd ambush me. Maybe I should hide in the library, since bullies appear to rarely go there. That sounded like a plan.

On the way there, I spotted a familiar red cap, black hair and striped shirt among the students crowding the hallway. There he is! I smiled and waved my arm. Our eyes met, but his face showed no sign of recognition. Ninten turned around and walked away. I was speechless. He ignored me! I slowly lowered down my arm and stared at the spot he was in just a moment ago.

 _That really stung_ , I noted detachedly. Only yesterday we were playing video games and lighting up bottle rockets. I had no idea what did just happen; my brain was completely blank. I felt dejected as I walked to the library, trying to come up with a reason why he'd ignore me — I must've been too much of a dork to hang out with, or that he figured that being seen with me would be bad for his image or something. I stood listlessly in front of the library, staring at the wooden door. Someone accidentally bumped into my side. Having such a great sense of balance, I was completely knocked down on my rear.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there." A voice apologized. I looked up to whoever bumped into me. A grim frown lined my face when my eyes met the familiar striped shirt. I flatly stared at him. It was obvious that my lack of response perturbed him, discomfort clearly visible in his purple eyes.

Wait.

Ninten's eyes were blue. Unless I grew colorblind overnight, this wasn't Ninten. Taking a good look at the boy in front of me, he was slightly stockier, his skin was a bit tanned, and his hair was also black, but the forelocks that poked from under his cap seemed curlier and coarser. I realized that I was still gawking, and making the poor kid uncomfortable. I shook my head and hurried up on my feet.

"S-sorry. I wasn't paying attention either." I said. The boy sighed in relief.

"Glad you're okay." He replied, "My name's Ness. Nice to meet ya." He extended his hand. I shook it.

"I'm Lloyd." I said, not stuttering over my own name for the first time. That's a start.

"Again, sorry for that. I'm such a klutz." He said, rubbing the back of his head. "Listen, uh. Do you know where the principal's office is? I'm new here and I need to get my classes, but this place is really big."

That explained why I didn't see him yesterday. I figured the bullies won't jump me with him around. "Yeah, sure. Follow me, I'll show you."

"Great, thanks." Ness smiled. He looked and sounded so much like Ninten. Are they related or something?

"Do you have a twin, or maybe a relative called Ninten? He goes to this school too." I asked. "He looks so much like you, it's freaky."

"Nope. I don't have a brother by that name." Ness answered, "I'm from Eagleland, and I don't have any relatives who live here."

"I see."

"Does he look that much like me?"

"You look the same, wear the same clothes and even have a similar voice." I said as we climbed the staircase to the second floor, "I mistook you for him a while ago."

"Heh. I'm a bit curious to meet him now." Ness chuckled. We arrived at the principal's office. Knocking on the still open door, we walked in on Pauline still reading a newspaper. She threw us a dirty look. I hid behind Ness, cowering under her glare.

"What is it now?" She groused.

"Hello, ma'am." Ness wasn't fazed by her hostility. "I'm a new student here, and I'd like to get my classes."

Pauline glared at him as if he insulted her and her ancestors.

"Name?"

"Ness."

"Hm. Your mother already registered you yesterday. You have seven classes today, of which you have already missed four." Pauline said in a monotone, pressing her thin lips into a grim line. "In this school we have a strict policy against truant little shi-, I mean, kids like you, but I see this is a special case". She sifted through the sea of papers on her desk, fished out a yellow sheet of paper and copied Ness' schedule from her records onto it. "You'll find the room number next to its door, and a map at the stairs." She said dryly as she handed Ness his schedule. I had a feeling of déjà-vu. Seems this line is rehearsed.

"Thank you." Ness replied.

"Get outta here, you two." She went back to her newspaper. "Damn kids." She muttered under her breath.

We left her alone. Ness was laughing.

"Wow. Such sunny disposition! Who took a dump in her cornflakes today?"

"Dunno. She was this cranky yesterday. I figure she's just like that." I replied. "What classes you have next?"

"English, Geography and History."

"Oh. I have Geography at the same time, too."

"That's great. Say, why don't we get something to eat, eh? I'm starving."

"Okay. The cafeteria is.." I snuck a look at the map on the wall behind Ness, "That way." I pointed. Ness walked ahead. Clearly he had a much faster pace when walking, almost skipping. A few steps before the cafeteria door, I was tackle-hugged from behind.

"Lloyd! I was looking all over for you!" A familiar voice shouted in my ear. I smiled and faced around.

"Ninten! Where have you been this morning?" I said.

"At the dentist's. Mom insisted I go to school afterwards, even though I couldn't feel half of my face." He replied, "The dentist gave me something to make the anesthetic go away faster. I can feel it's already starting to wear off quicker than it usually would."

"Uh huh." I usually felt groggy and cranky after a dentist's appointment, but Ninten looked fresh as a daisy. I remembered the new kid behind me. "Hey, by the way. This is Ness. He's a new kid from Eagleland" I pointed towards Ness, who did a double take at Ninten's appearance.

"Lloyd wasn't kidding. We _do_ look alike." Ness said and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you. Ninten, was it?"

"Yeah. Nice to meet you too, other me." Ninten shook his hand.

"Right. We were going to get something to eat. Coming?"

"Heck yes. I mean, I won't eat because I just got a tooth filling but it's sure fine to hang out. Yeah."

I gave him a weird look. I wasn't buying the whole dentist story, but I decided not to pry. We entered the cafeteria and in a few minutes, Ness and I had trays full of food in front of us. I sat next to Ninten, who decided to get a carton of juice. I watched the two doppelgängers hit it off with each other. It was entertaining to see how much they had in common; both played baseball, they had a thing for the San Francisco Giants, and appeared to have the same taste in music. Ness' favorite food was steak, but Ninten preferred prime ribs. I thought if I met someone who looked and acted like me, I'd be less than thrilled. While Ninten and Ness were confident, and saw the positive things about themselves in each other, for me it'd only be a constant reminder of my insecurities and what made me stand out like a sore thumb, in the bad way of course.

"You know Lloyd, you also remind me of someone I knew." Ness nudged me out of my brooding thoughts.

"Oh? T-that's cool. I guess."

"Yeah. Too bad he lives in Winters. His name's Jeff Andonuts. You don't look a lot like him, but somehow you give off the same 'whiz kid' vibe."

I'm glad he lives at least 3000 miles away. His last name seemed to ring a bell nonetheless.

"Andonuts? Is he related to that famous Dr. Andonuts?" I asked.

"His own son." Ness said.

"You knew Dr. Andonuts' son? His dad actually proved that time-travel and teleportation are theoretically possible. I'm just a normal nerd. Surely I'm no match to Andonuts' son."

"Aw, don't sell yourself short, Lloyd. I'm sure you're just as smart."

"You're being too nice."

Ninten, who was listening lazily until now, immediately sat up.

"His dad did what?" He said a little loudly. That drew a few curious glances from some kids around. I winced a little at the unwanted attention.

"I.. I said he proved that teleportation and time travel are mathematically possible." I whispered, "I'm sure science is at least a century behind realizing his theory, but it's there."

"Ah, bummer." Ninten deflated and sat back down.

"Why would you care anyway?" Ness asked, just as confused at Ninten's sudden outburst.

"I-it's just a really cool thing, is all." Ninten stammered. If there was anything painfully obvious about Ninten, it's that he was a terrible liar. Ness was going to prod further when a pair of twins stopped by.

"Whoa, Ninten. You never told us you had a twin brother!" Lucas said.

"Oh, hi Claus. Lucas. This is Ness, my, uh, long-lost twin." Ninten said, "I happen to be the smarter good looking one, though."

"Haha you wish." Ness replied.

"What was that?" Ninten cupped his hand to his ear. "I'm a dead fish?"

"Not funny."

"Are you actually twins, or are you just messing with us?" Claus eyed the two, assessing their similarities. "You two look so alike, it's not even funny."

"No, they're not related." I replied, "But they are like peas in a pod."

"Lloyd! You ruined it." Ninten whined. "It would've been a neat prank."

"Sorry."

"Tell you what." He pulled a red piece of cloth out of his pocket and tied it around his neck. "Now we don't look alike. Make a note: Kid with cool neckerchief equals Ninten. That's a win-win situation."

"You look ridiculous. Cool, my butt." Lucas said dryly.

Ninten decided to take Lucas' words at face value. "You want me to cool your butt?" Lucas immediately turned scarlet.

"T-t-that's not what I meant." He spluttered.

"Shut up, Ninten." Claus lightly smacked Ninten upside the head.

"Oww. What did I do?"

"Um, I hate to say this," Ness spoke up, "But break should end soon. We should get to class."

"Right. Catch you later, guys." Claus nodded and walked off with Lucas, and we got up soon afterwards. Ninten and I showed Ness to his class and walked off to our Science classroom.

Speaking of which, I just remembered that I had two bullies who were out for my blood. Out of instinct, I inched closer to Ninten while nervously looking around me for any sign of my tormentors. Ninten jabbed my side, and I jumped a foot in the air, letting out a less-than-manly yelp.

"Dude, what's the matter? You look like there's someone out to kill you or something." I was that obvious?

"N-n-n-nothing. You s-startled me. I'm ticklish. That's it. Haha." I'm even a worse liar than Ninten, but it was true that I was awfully ticklish, and a sudden prod to my side would've made me jump anyway. Once we were in the classroom, I was immensely relieved to see their seats were empty. They probably chose skipping class over getting chewed out by Ms. Farrell. I hoped Pauline spots them and apply her 'strict policy' against truant kids, preferably if it involved that mean-looking yardstick on her desk. We sat down and waited for the teacher to show up. I had a bad feeling that they would eventually catch me soon, and I won't like it.


	6. Chapter 6 - Shiny Hands and Other Quirks

**Chapter 6 - Shiny Hands, and Other Quirks**

Ms. Farrell walked into class, picking off from where she left off yesterday. I had to will myself into focusing on the lesson, but I kept nervously eyeing the empty seats further back as if the bullies might somehow materialize out of thin air. My unease seemed to have rubbed off on Ninten; he was fidgeting with his goofy kerchief and his foot tapped the floor restlessly. Halfway through the period, he tore a small snip of paper, scrawled something on it and placed it under my nose. I squinted to decipher Ninten's terrible handwriting.

'Dude you're really wired. What's wrong?' The note read. I flipped the scrap of paper and wrote 'I'm not.' Thinking of an excuse, I continued, 'I just really need to go to the bathroom'. I handed him the paper under the desk. He picked it up and read its content, then gave me a weird look. He pointed his thumb towards the door, as if to say 'why don't you go?'. I extended my thumb and index fingers, signing 'number two'. He got it and giggled.

"Hold it in, man." He whispered, "What's wrong with public restrooms?"

"Unsanitary." I curtly replied, then shifted my gaze to the teacher in front of us. I spent the better part of the period absorbed in my thoughts. Luckily, I snapped out of it only a few moments before Ms. Farrell directed a question at me. I answered with something off the top of my head. She seemed satisfied enough to approve, then continued with her lesson. Phew! Sometimes I feel glad I was a huge nerd. At the end, she told us to submit our homework. She noticed the absent duo, and muttered something about good-for-nothing underachievers who'd fail this year again. Again? So the blockheads were held back one grade and are even older than Ninten. I knew there was more to the homework thing than being lazy and just dumping the work on a random kid. Lucky me!

On the way out, I tapped my neckerchief-wearing friend on the shoulder. "Hey, Ninten."

"Hm?"

"What have you got next?"

"I have Geography and History left."

I didn't have history on seventh. Why doesn't this school work up a consistent schedule or something? "I got Geography, too. Ness has the same class so we should go find him."

"But where is he?"

I rolled my eyes. Ninten can be so dense.

"Chances are, he's still around English."

"C'mon, let's go find him!" Ninten grabbed my wrist and made a dash for the said room at the end of the hallway, almost making me trip up in the process. He skidded to a halt in front of the classroom and I crashed face-first into his back. Again.

"There he is." Ninten pointed, apparently unruffled by me smashing into him. I adjusted my crooked glasses to see Ness standing nearby, looking like a lost puppy. He spotted us and walked over.

"Hey guys." He greeted. "Good thing you came. I don't know where's our next period."

"It's in the other corridor. We were just going there." Ninten said, "Shall we?"

"Lead the way."

After a few minutes, we seated ourselves in the weird classroom. It was stuffy, with dusty maps and other posters adorning the beige walls. Ninten grimaced at the stale air as he plopped down next to me.

"This is such a godawful room. I think I'll catch an asthma attack from sitting here too long." Ninten said.

"Yeah", I agreed. "Someone should really open the windows. Maybe vacuum a little?"

"You two are such weenies." Ness teased from behind us. Ninten whipped around and smacked his lookalike in the arm.

"Shut up." Ninten stuck out his tongue.

"Toughen up, dude. That barely tickled."

"I can totally kick your butt to the end of town and back, Ness, but we're in class."

"Bring it on, stickman."

"What did you just call me?"

They continued their playful banter for a while until the teacher arrived. A bland-looking man carrying a large binder under his arm. His brown-and-beige clothes blended too well with the room. I imagined he'd disappear like a chameleon if he pressed his back against the wall. He introduced himself as Mr. Patel. I was surprised to find that he was pretty engaging, and the class ended up being fun despite the dull place. At the end, he gave us an assignment to do over the weekend, much to Ness and Ninten's dismay. After the class, I was going to part ways with the pair of capped boys.

"Are you taking the bus home today, Lloyd?" Ninten said.

"Not really. That bus stinks to high heaven so I think I'll walk home today."

"Me too. Your place is on the way, so I'll walk with you. Meet you at the front gate after class?"

"Okay. See you then." I replied, and trudged to my last class of today, Math. Now alone and completely left to agonize over how I could avoid the bullies who threatened revenge since morning. The period dragged on for what seemed to be ages. The teacher was expounding the wonders of algebra to the disinterested kids. Normally, I'd be quite engaged, but now I was a few minutes short of tearing my hair out and screaming at the top of my lungs in frustration. All what I want is to go home and hide in my bed, never to come out. As an answer of my prayers to whoever deity that answers them, the school bell finally rang. I made a bee-line out towards the exit. I walked out and found myself in the schoolyard. I must've taken the opposite exit. Curse my poor sense of direction! I turned back to leave before I sensed a presence near me, then suddenly I was grabbed from the back of my neck and pinned against the school's wall.

"Check out who came out to pay us a little visit." It was them. For someone who was constantly bullied for the better part of his school years, I definitely kept low guard for them to catch me this easily. My insides twisted into knots. "No pesky teachers around here to save your little ass now."

"L-let me go." I squirmed against the shorter bully's grasp. If it was him doing the 'dirty work' of manhandling me instead of his greasy friend, then he obviously meant business. They dragged me further back behind the school.

"Oh-ho-ho. Dwarf grew a backbone." He edged closer and I could smell cheap cigarettes in his breath. Eugh. "You know what we do with backbones?" He growled, then slugged me hard in the stomach. "We break 'em."

I doubled over in pain, the wind completely knocked out of me. My glasses slipped off my face and I heard glass crunching against the concrete as the blond kid stepped on them. Oh no, not the glasses! Still winded from the punch and now half-blinded, I tried gasping for breath, but my lungs refused to take in air. I coughed and wheezed and tried to lean against the wall with one hand, starting to feel tears stinging my eyes.

"Aww, poor weakling's crying already?" Shaggy Hair sneered, clearly satisfied with the result. "The fun was just starting."

"Look at his eyes, they're all red." I heard the blond sidekick say. "What a freak. He ain't contagious, is he?"

"Yeah. Diseased devil-spawn." He stepped back, picked up a stone and chucked it at my face. Pain exploded in my forehead when it hit me right above my eyebrow. I fell down against the wall.

"Good hit! Heh, it's bleeding."

I touched my hand against my busted forehead. My fingers came out smeared in red. I froze and stared at the blood trickling down my hand. One of the two approached and spat in my face. "That's what you get for screwing us over, you loser."

What little dignity I had left gave way. I broke down in tears, curling closer into myself in a feeble attempt to shield myself from further harm. All of a sudden, they paused.

"Crap, someone is coming."

"We better hightail it out of here."

With that, they dashed out of view — Not that I had that sharp vision at the moment. I wiped the spit that landed on my cheek with the back of my hand, uncontrollable sobs wracking my body. I hugged my knees close, like I would have done when I hid in the trashcan in elementary. Back then it was almost all talk, and I learned the hard way that I'd rather listen to an hour of verbal abuse than getting punched in the gut and pelted with rocks to the face. Whoever approached now was calling loudly.

"Lloyd? Llooyd! Where are you, man?" It was Ninten. Damn it, I don't need this. Please don't let him see me now. I curled into myself even further, almost willing myself to disappear. I didn't want him to see me like this, humiliated, beaten and bloody. Ninten saw the broken glasses that laid a few feet away from wherever I was hiding. I saw his blurred form pick up the damaged eyewear, his back turned to me.

"Hey, those are Lloyd's!" He said to no one in particular. He glanced around, then his eyes landed on me. I couldn't see his expression well, but the horrified tone in his voice gave me a vague idea.

"LLOYD!" He shouted as he dashed towards me. He grabbed my shoulders.

"Oh gosh. Who did this to you?" I forced myself to glare at him with my unnatural bloodshot eyes, but he didn't seem to flinch, worry evident on his face. I was unable to look him in the eyes long enough so I bowed my head down in shame, sobs threatening to return. Ninten crouched down and placed my head on his shoulder. It was an awkward position, with me leaning back against the wall and him half-kneeling, half-squatting down to my level. He placed my lost glasses back on my face. They were bent at an odd angle and the left lens was cracked, but it was good to have some good vision back. I saw his face contorted in hesitation, as if he was contemplating what to do.

"Ninten, I.." I started meekly, but he cut me off with a hush. He appeared to have made up his mind about something, placing his palm against my wounded forehead and shut his eyes in concentration. I hissed a little at the stinging contact, but what happened next left me stunned.

His palm was glowing a faint green!

My eyes widened as I felt the angry throbbing in my forehead ease, replaced by an immensely soothing feeling. I could sense the skin under his palm closing around the wound. I felt absolutely safe and warm, relaxing into his touch. Soon, the glow in his palm ceased and he opened his eyes. I let out a ragged breath, unaware that I had been holding my breath until now. I gave him an amazed look as he helped me up. He glanced everywhere but at me, apprehensively shifting his feet.

"S-sorry." Ninten said, eyes downcast in half-guilt, stepping away. He seemed torn between staying or running away as fast as his feet could carry him. Acting on an impulse, I pulled him into a crushing hug, earning a startled squeak in the process.

"I don't know what did you do." I said, "But thank you. I-I really mean it." Releasing him from the sudden embrace, I saw his face tinted a deep red. Huh, I might have squeezed him a bit too hard.

"Oh. D-don't mention it." He flustered, then gave me a tiny smile. "C'mon, let's get your face cleaned up and go home already."

"Right." I smiled back and followed him to the restroom. Looking in the mirror above the sinks, there was a lot of dried blood on my face. I must've looked horrible a few minutes ago. We were lucky nobody saw us on the way here. I wetted a small wad of tissue paper and wiped my face clean. I saw the skin on my forehead was perfectly unblemished, like the wound never existed in the first place. What manner of powers did Ninten have? I was now deeply curious. Ninten was more than he seemed to be.

The walk out of school was filled with awkward silence. A million and one questions where clashing inside my head. I was unsure what to say — It was plainly obvious his 'powers' weren't exactly common knowledge. I let out a small cough to get the capped boy's attention.

"Erm, so.. About what just happened." Ninten twisted to face me.

"Oh, yes. About what just happened." He parroted, then took a serious frown, "Who did that to you, Lloyd? That was a pretty nasty cut."

 _Yeah, about that._

"I.. I don't know. I don't even know their names." I proceeded to describe the two bullies, then I told him about the homework thing and the encounter earlier this morning.

"Ah, _those_ losers.", Ninten said in contempt. "It's because they've got no other friends, they pick on the weaker kids to get attention. They were almost expelled last year because they locked up a boy in a gym closet all day. If it wasn't for the janitor, the poor kid would've spent his night in the locker."

"They're that bad?" I asked, horrified at the idea of spending a whole day in a stuffy locker. I knew I hid in 'enclosed areas' at times, but I could've gotten out any time I wanted. That was scary.

"Mhm." He nodded, then beamed a bright smile at me. "Don't worry, though. I won't let them do anything to you."

"You'd do that?"

"Hell yeah. That's what friends are for, man."

I smiled at him, not saying a word. I was glad he called us friends, and that he'd protect me from those bullies. My silent response was enough to show I really appreciated it.

"So, you had something to ask?" Right. I was going to ask him about his shiny green hand or something.

"Y-yeah. About, you know.. Um." I pointed at his hands then at my forehead. "Your, uh.. I don't know. Powers? SUPER powers?" Ninten laughed at my response. He threw his arms behind his head.

"Superpowers? That's stretchin' it." He looked thoughtful for a minute, "To be honest, Nobody knew about them 'til today. Even mom and my sisters don't know they exist. I haven't got an idea what they are either; they've been with me since I could remember."

"What can you do?"

He began to count on his fingers, "Okay, let's see.. I can heal wounds, move small stuff around, read thoughts if I squint _real_ hard and, um," He toyed with his hands, and mumbled something I couldn't catch.

"Come again?"

"I.. uh, I can also teleport. For short distances." He muttered.

"That explained your interest in Dr. Andonuts' research a while ago."

"Y-yeah. But I only realized I could do that today."

"Can you show me?"

"You see," He hesitated, "Those things can be very draining."

"How so?"

"Well.." He began counting again. "I had a nasty fever for days before I could learn that I can heal wounds, I fainted for a day before I learned I could read thoughts and bend spoons, and just this morning I almost bled out through my nose. I wasn't at the dentist's today, for your information. I'd like to wait a few days before attempting teleportation" Yeah, like anybody was convinced with the dentist thing, either.

"Yikes. Sounds debilitating all right, but that's _so_ cool!"

"You don't think I'm lying or something?" Ninten cocked his head at me.

"Normally, I'd be very skeptical," I pointed to my forehead, "But I think I've seen enough evidence your powers are real."

"I don't know if 'powers' would be the best word to say it. You make it sound like I'm some video game character. Maybe it's, uh, psychic crap or something."

"You know, a video game about a character who looks like you, fights with a baseball bat and with 'Psychic Crap' would be a total bestseller." I joked.

"And you would be my friend who helps me take down freaky aliens from outer space with guns and bottle rockets!"

"Bottle rockets? Lame." I said, trying to fix my bent eyeglasses.

"Do you remember the cat from yesterday? I'm telling you, bottle rockets can bring down an alien invasion in no time."

We spent the rest of the walk joking and coming up with things about our supposed game. We eventually reached my house.

"You know, it's really weird." Ninten paused for a second, face contemplative. "I totally expected you'd be freaked out back in school. You took the fact that I had strange powers like it's no big deal."

"Hm." I mused, thinking back to my encounter with the bullies. All the names they had called me flashed in my memory. Had I been a normal-looking kid, I would've slipped under their radar and blended in the crowd as one of the more or less average kids who filled the school. I looked at Ninten, and realized that I wouldn't have the heart to call him such hideous names only because he had something different from the 'norm'. A more doubtful part of me thought maybe because I desperately wanted Ninten's friendship, no matter how weird it was, I was willing to accept any quirk he had without question. I silenced that part before I dwelled further on the thought. I sighed.

"I don't know, man. Maybe you're a little different, but you're still you." I replied, "It's not like you grew a second head or something."

"What, so if I grew a second head you'd freak out?" He said in a monotone, eyeing me funny.

A grotesque, but slightly comical image of Ninten with Ness' head glued to his shoulder popped in my head.

"That's up for debate." I said, stifling a grin.

"Uh huh. I'll remember to call you the moment I grew a second head. See ya, Lloyd."

"Later." We parted ways. I walked into my house's front lawn and watched Ninten's receding back for a while before going inside. I had a mission on mind: Find out all what I can about Ninten's 'psychic crap'. I went straight for the bookshelves and began digging up anything that could be of relevance. Half an hour later, I climbed to my room with half a dozen of dusty books in my arms.

This is going to be a long night.

* * *

 **A/N:** **I'm lame. I was going to publish this last night, but I lazed and somehow didn't put it up. ANYWAY, t** **o be honest this entire fanfic was born out of the idea of _"What would happen if Lloyd met Ninten, became friends and on one day, Lloyd gets injured by bullies and Ninten patches him up with his psychic powers?'._**


	7. Chapter 7 - A Barbecue Proposition

**Chapter 7 - A Barbecue Proposition**

I blearily glanced up from my desk to the clock on my nightstand. It was already 2 hours past midnight, and I have been hunched over the books since evening. I straightened up my back and stretched, feeling the bones in my neck and back pop. I looked over my cracked glasses at the small journal I was writing anything of interest I found in the books, which wasn't much. I managed to fill few of the tiny pages with noteworthy data, mainly concerning types of psychic abilities. Everyone who claimed such powers to date were frauds, quacks and charlatans, which was totally expected but a bit disheartening. I realized Ninten was pretty wise not to tell a soul of his secret.

I stumbled upon a lot of technical terms while reading. For example, the blanket term for the whole shebang was 'psionics', or PSI for short. I had to mark some weird expressions, like 'clairvoyance' or 'psychokinesis', which could be abbreviated to just PK. All the books agreed most research in this field was either misguided or outright false and it's largely dismissed as pseudoscience because nobody brought convincing evidence for the existence of any psychic powers after more than a century of research — most of it was vague and included a lot of irrelevant and even falsified data, likely altered by researchers to make it seem like they came up with something.

This was really discouraging. I set down the book I was reading and rubbed my exhausted eyes. At least one of the books cited a very extensive, yet apocryphal work on PSI dating back more than ninety years ago. Whoever wrote it went by the name of 'George' with no surname, which made me believe this might not be his or her true name. Maybe I should pay a visit to the library soon to look into it further, but now it was time for bed. I set my clock to wake me up in the morning, turned off the light and drifted to sleep.

I dreamt of a boy whose pale hands shone a beautiful soft green light.

* * *

During the following few weeks, Ninten effectively clicked into overprotective mode. He always sat next to me in and outside of classes, and if we didn't share the same period, he'd be waiting for me right outside the door. The two bullies stayed out of my hair for now, much to my relief. Ness was with me in Social Studies, so I was never isolated in their vicinity. Eventually, exams came up. I managed to ace my exams, while Ninten, Ness and Claus bombed theirs. Claus was somehow roped into two extra hours of studying daily by an uncharacteristically stern Lucas, while I agreed to tutor Ninten and Ness. The three of us were at my house on a Thursday afternoon, studying their absolutely least favorite subject: Math. Ninten eventually gave up and hit his head against the table.

"Ugh! I swear my head's gonna burst." He groaned, "The alphabet and numbers were never meant to be together in the same place."

"Whoever invented algebra is evil." Ness agreed. I chuckled at their complaints.

"Blame the Arabs and Greeks, they came up with it." I replied, "But you have to endure, otherwise you'll get a D in math again. You don't want a bad grade in your report card."

"I got a C, mind you." Ninten protested. I lowered my neck and gave him an unimpressed stare from above my glasses.

"You got 68 out of 100 in last week's exam. That is a D, Ninten." I said flatly.

"68 is two marks short of a C, which is close enough, I'd say." Ninten grumbled. Ness let out a snicker.

"Hey, I scored higher than you!" Ness said, playfully elbowing his double, earning him a huff and a shove.

"Oh yeah? And how much did you get, smartypants?"

"Sixty-nine." Ness said, puffing his chest proudly. Ninten banged his head to the table, and I slapped my palm to my face.

"Gimme a break." Ninten groaned.

"Dude, take a chill pill." Ness said. Ninten banged his head on the table again.

"I have to study math, and suffer your obnoxious presence. When did I die and end up in hell?"

"Aw, shush. You love me."

"Nobody loves you, Ness."

"My dog does."

"Ew."

"Huh? Aw, get stuffed!"

"Whatever." Ninten lifted his head and poked my arm. "Hey listen Lloyd. Got anything to do this weekend?"

 _Apart from burying myself in books trying to figure out anything about PSI?_

"Not really."

"Cool. How about the two of you come over at my place? You know, play some video games and watch some movies."

"We can go to the arcade or cinema for games and movies, Ninten." Ness said, a little deflated.

"You see, if I beg hard enough, mom would let me use the outdoor grill so we could make some killer barbecue. We could use a little fun instead of.. This." He waved his hand vaguely at the bunch of books in front of us.

"Your mom actually lets you use an outdoor grill?" I said incredulously. Ninten just shrugged and gave me a smug grin.

"Then only if there will be steak." Ness said, mouth watering at the prospect of tearing into juicy slabs of meat.

"Um.. That does sound like a good idea." I said.

"Also maybe spend the night." Ninten suggested.

"Sorry. Got a bunch of things to do early in the morning," Ness said, "I don't think I can stay over, but I can show up for the barbecue. I'll bring steak."

"I see. Lloyd?" Ninten looked at me expectantly. I've never stayed over at someone else's house, so I felt slightly self-conscious.

"S-sure." I fidgeted with my hands. "I'll ask my mom first."

"Cool. Last time was a blast. Heh, literally." He giggled at his own pun. "Make sure to bring a movie tape and the games. You too, Ness."

I nodded. "Okay."

"Sweet." He pointed the tip of his pencil to his notebook, "Now, mind telling me how in the world did X turn out to be 4 and not 92?"

* * *

 _ **9:00 pm**_

"You're what?" Mom lifted her eyes from the TV and shot me a blank stare.

"I-I-I was gonna ask if-f I could.. Um" I felt my ears radiate heat. "Stay over at Ninten's house on Friday." I blurted out in a single breath. Mom's stare was now confused.

"Slow down, honey. You're not making much sense. What was it about Ninten?"

"Um." I took a breath and repeated myself, slowly this time.

"Oh, of course sweetie, but you'll behave yourself over there."

"O-OK."

"Good. You want me to drive you there?" "Ninten and I will walk. It's not too far."

"Alright." Then she resumed watching her soap opera. She didn't say no after all! Why was I so terrified of asking in the first place?

I climbed up to my room and started preparing some stuff. I went through my games, picking up whatever seemed like something we'd like. I was torn between picking up Mrs. Doubtfire or Jurassic Park. I was sure Ninten or Ness must have watched the latter one or would pick a similar movie, so I stacked the Mrs. Doubtfire videotape on top of the game cartridges. I glanced over to my desk and saw the journal I've been writing everything I looked up about PSI over the past few weeks. I wondered what Ninten would say if I showed him the thing. It was disappointing that "George's book" was nowhere in sight. Few books talked about how informative it was, but apparently if it existed, it had been lost forever. I sighed and went to bed.

I dreamt of an old book with its scratched-up bindings almost falling apart.

* * *

Friday classes were a breeze. It was almost hilarious to watch how antsy kids were at sixth period, waiting for the bell to sound off so they can bolt out of school and start their weekends. It seemed like everyone was glowing in excitement. Once my last period for the week ended, I walked outside the school building nearby the buses. I spotted Ninten chatting with a girl in a pink dress that reached to her knees. She wore her blonde hair in pigtails and wore red ballet flats and a pair of white socks. Her getup would've looked unbelievably gaudy on another girl, but it suited her well. I was always shy around girls, so I hesitantly approached the two. Ninten noticed me and half-turned towards me.

"Oh, speak of the devil! Ana, this is Lloyd, the kid I told you about." He pointed his thumb towards me. I tensed slightly at that. Ninten was talking about _me_ to a girl? I waved my hand slightly and let out a quiet "Hi".

"Lloyd, this is Ana. She's an old friend from Snowman. We go a long way back." Ninten, ever so lively, introduced the girl in question.

"Nice to meet you, Lloyd. Ninten surely spoke highly of you." She spoke up, her baby blue eyes looking me over. Her voice had a calm, even tone. She would be great as a counsellor or a narrator.

"Oh, um.. Nice to meet you too, Ana." I replied, scratching the back of my head.

"I'm telling you, Ann, Lloyd is gonna be a super-inventor someday. Did you know he can make his computer talk?" Ninten looped a friendly arm around my shoulders. I felt deeply embarrassed. My computer does NOT talk. An automated greeting isn't 'talking' per se.

"That's pretty impressive." Ana said.

"Um.. It's no big deal, really." I said sheepishly.

"God, Lloyd. Don't think too little of yourself." Ninten pulled me into a semi-noogie. I let out a protesting sound, trying to bat his fist away from my hair.

"Ninten! Don't take the Lord's name in vain." Ana chastised, her expression slightly disapproving.

"Er, sorry." Ninten said, letting me go. I readjusted my glasses and ran a hand quickly through my ruffled hair.

"Where's Ness?" I asked, noticing the absence of Ninten's doppelgänger.

"He went to his house a few minutes ago. Said he's gonna grab some stuff from there and meet us at my place."

"Uhm, I see. I was going home to get my things too." I replied.

"Awesome. Most likely Ness will arrive once we're done." Ninten eyed the buses warily, then looked back at me. "Please tell me you're not taking the pongy buses."

"I think I'll walk home instead."

"Phew. I still can't get over how weird those buses smell. It's like spoiled milk and puke. Eugh." He scrunched his face in disgust and shook his head.

I smiled at his expression. "Don't remind me. I'd rather keep my appetite, thanks."

"I ride on those 'pongy' buses, Ninten. I'm sure they don't smell that bad." Ana said, put off by his colorful description of the buses' funky odor.

"But it's true! Sorry again." Ninten laughed, earning him another disapproving frown.

"You boys are gross." Ana said, stifling a grin. "The bus is leaving soon - I should go. Bye, Ninten. Lloyd." She waved her arm and left.

Ninten and I watched Ana climb into one of the buses.

A while later we were on our way to my house. Halfway through the walk, I turned my head to Ninten.

"So.. 'Don't take the Lord's name in vain'?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ana's dad is a pastor." Ninten replied, toying absentmindedly with his neckerchief. "Her family is religious, but not the stupid weird religious bunch. They're really great people."

"Oh. My family isn't religious," I said, "But I never judge others' faith."

"Right. So why do you ask?"

"Nothing, it just sounded so.. Quaint. Ana seems like a great girl, anyway."

"She is. She's so kind and nice. Did you know she's somewhat of a celebrity in Snowman and Eagleland?"

"Really?" Now both of my eyebrows were raised. "I never knew that."

"Ana is a great pianist. She even went to Eagleland last year and played the organ at Venus' wedding ceremony."

"That's really nice." I nodded, then paused. "Who's Venus?"

"You seriously don't know who's Venus? C'mon, Lloyd. Are you living under a rock?"

 _Kind of?_

"No, but I don't listen to music that often."

"Venus is a pretty famous pop singer. She recently married the Runaway Five's frontman."

"Dunno who're the Runaway Five either."

"Yeah, you don't look like someone who'd listen to Jazz."

"No, I don't listen to Jazz."

"Me neither. Ness seems to have a huge boner for that peculiar band, though."

"Agh, Ninten!" I whined, giving him an exasperated grimace.

"What? It's the truth."

"Your truth stinks worse than the bus." I said, then stopped to eye my house. "Anyway, we're here. Let's grab my stuff and be on our way."

"Okie dokie." He chirped, following me to the house. I opened the door, and to my surprise, dad was sitting in the living room, reading a newspaper. He wasn't at his lab or at field work? When did he come back?

"D.. Dad?" I said, my voice barely audible. My dad took a quick glance at me and returned to reading his newspaper.

"Hello, son." He said casually, not bothering to look at me twice. I last saw him a few days before school started, and he only greeted me like I saw him everyday. He hadn't even noticed Ninten standing next to me. I tugged on my backpack's straps and straightened my pose.

"I'm.. I'm going upstairs to get my stuff. Wait here, Ninten." I said and quickly ran up the stairs to my room and closed the door. I dropped the bag in front of my feet and pressed my back against the door. I gritted my teeth, fighting back the urge to kick something or punch the wall. I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. A part of me reasoned that I was probably overreacting. My dad is a busy man and I was being bratty when I felt angry at his lukewarm greeting after an exceptionally long absence. Then again, I'm his only son. Dad always told me he was proud of me, but his pitying eyes always meant otherwise — they screamed disappointment. Mom was wiser when she told me she was proud of me. She usually smiled and closed her eyes or ruffled my hair. I'd imagine Ninten's parents would be better than mine. I felt my throat tighten up at the thought.

I had to busy myself with something else. Taking a sharp breath through my nose, I picked up my bag and walked over to the TV. I emptied the notebooks and pencils from the bag and stuffed my pyjamas and SNES inside. It felt oddly satisfactory to replace the 'dull stuff' of school with 'fun stuff' like video games and movies. My bag barely fit my nightwear and the boxy console with its various cables and extensions, so I carried the movie tape and game cartridges under my arm. Maybe I'll let Ninten put them in his bag. I double-checked that I bagged everything I needed, and went out. I halted at the staircase when I heard dad and Ninten having a chat. What were they talking about?

"You know my dad?" I heard Ninten ask.

"Mhm. Met him a couple of times a while back. Your father is a hard-working man. That makes him a great detective." Dad replied. He eyed the dark haired boy in front of him, face thoughtful. "What do you think of my son, Ninten?"

"He's a great friend," Ninten replied. "Lloyd is very smart and I believe he will grow up to be a brilliant mind."

"I see." Dad hummed at the reply, "Please look after Lloyd. He's a real weakling. I am proud of my son, but his weak personality is what's keeping him down." He muttered.

"Y.. Yes sir."

I decided to cut this conversation short. I adjusted the cartridges under my arm and stepped downstairs, my footsteps grabbed their attention.

"Ready to go?" Ninten asked. I nodded, walking towards the door.

"Before you go, son." Dad said. I turned around and eyed my father curiously. "I noticed you've been reading up a lot of books about extrasensory phenomena. I thought you might want to take a look at this little book." He motioned towards a gargantuan tome that sat next to the living room TV. That was what he passed as little books? The help was appreciated nonetheless.

"Oh. Thanks, dad." I said, letting a hint of gratefulness seep in my voice.

"Don't mention it." He returned to his newspaper. "I don't know exactly why are you interested in such things, but I felt you'd might want to read a good authority on such subjects. Now run along, kids."

"We'll probably get late for Ness," Ninten nudged my arm, "We should hurry."

"Right." I adjusted the now-bulky backpack and followed Ninten outside. I've never been to Ninten's house before, but he told me he lived a couple blocks away. I looked back at my house, gazing at the front lawn for a while, then hurried behind Ninten.

* * *

 **Author's Note: If you're reading this and considering Engineering as a college major, take it from one of the victims: Never take it up unless you hate yourself enough to do it! (or smart enough to work it out)**

 **Me bitching about college aside, 'Take a chill pill'? Ugh, Ness that was so.. 1990s! Then again, this takes place sometime in the early 90s so no shame here. I'm just trying to keep the story slightly faithful to that time period, which was dumb, but the endearing kind of dumb.**

 **This chapter was going to be more than 5000 words long, so I decided to split it in two to keep the size consistent with the previous ones. The next half is coming up in a little while.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Connor the Spelling Pro: The fourth wall had to suffer slightly, but it'll live. :P **

**Ninten is pretty much in the dark when it comes to his PSI. Maybe Ness and others will have PSI too, although I honestly don't know if it's actually relevant plot-wise whether Ness has PSI. He's not *the* major character of this fic, after all.**

 **I did try to portray the bullies as a duo of hyenas. They're petty and pretty much low. I loosely based them off two classmates I used to know. They didn't bully _me_ per se, but they did pick on another kid for being fat and slightly feminine. Pretty pathetic, I know. Anyway, High-level analyses are always greatly appreciated. :)**

 **adricarra: Thanks, and yeah it's rare for an Earthbound fanfic not to introduce PSI at least in reference. It's a shame you had to go through some bullying in school, but I'm glad it wasn't physical. As for the fevers and such, yeah I think learning a new PSI power is like growing up or maybe shedding old skin, so it wouldn't come ****easily - it has to take its toll on the body.**

 **Phoesong: Thank you. I've never written anything longer than a few hundred words that wasn't related to uni homework, so that's really high praise from you. Really! ^_^**

 **I agree Lloyd is an untapped character. Too bad Ninten seems to be the only character from Earthbound Beginnings that has some place in the spotlight (and even that's overshadowed by Ness).**

 **Claus meant well. He's reckless and impulsive, but I think he panicked when he thought he badly hurt Ninten. Also, critique is very welcome. I don't think I would improve much if I wasn't criticised where needed.** **As for Pauline, she's loosely based off a cranky nun with the same name back at school. (I attended a Catholic school when I was little) She had a pretty foul mouth for a nun, which I found hilarious. Pauline from this story is basically the not-nun Pauline from my old school :P**

 **I blame the weather for procrastination. It always works. ;)**

 **I'm really glad you guys seem to like this fic so far. This makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. :D**


	8. Chapter 8 - Hexagons

**Chapter 8 - Hexagons**

Ninten and I walked in silence for a few minutes. The street was calm, basking in the afternoon sun. The only noise we heard was that of leaves being rustled by the slight breeze.

"Your dad is.. Intense." Ninten piped up.

"How so?"

"I don't mean to offend, but he's a bit interrogative."

"Wow, Ninten. Such long words. Did his vocabulary rub off on you?" I joked. He puffed his cheeks in annoyance.

"Shut up. Though it's funny you don't look much like your dad." He said, changing the subject.

"Duh, because I'm an albino and he's not." I replied.

"No, not that. I mean, your face looks more like your mom." He said, rubbing his chin. "I reckon if you weren't born an albino you'd look much more like her."

"You think?" I imagined myself having my mom's colors instead. I could imagine having strawberry-blond hair, but it was difficult imagining my maroon eyes being an emerald green much like the color Ninten's palm glowed the other day. I thought I'd look ridiculous if I inherited dad's thin brown hair, hazel eyes and his slightly hooked nose. I got his nearsightedness, but I blamed my albinism for my terrible eyesight anyway.

"But I could tell your dad sincerely loves you, Lloyd."

"I wouldn't know," I replied, "What about your dad? You never mentioned him."

Ninten slumped his shoulders.

"I.. I don't see him that much." He said, "Dad's rarely home, but he calls everyday. I tend to hog the phone and talk his ear off about baseball or complain about my sisters. Never asked him about.. _Him_."

I could've sworn I heard a tinge of sadness in his voice. I was going to say something, but a white furry creature suddenly raced out of the house in front of us and tackled me to the ground. A wet nose dangerously close to my own took a few sniffs, then a slick length of muscle lapped across the side of my face.

"Ah, gross!" I shouted, trying to wipe the slobber that covered my cheek and the lens of my glasses. I need to wash my face, I hated overly-affectionate dogs. The animal showed no sign of willing to get off so I can stand up. Ninten ruffled the fur behind its ears. I winced, feeling pointy corners in my bag digging into my back.

"Hey, Mick. Come on. Let Lloyd go, boy." He whistled, snapping his fingers in a quick rhythm. Mick finally stepped off, wagging his tail happily. I stood up and dusted off my clothes. I hope the contents of my bag were still intact. I swear I'll string the mutt by its tongue if I find anything broken.

"Your dog is evil, Ninten." I glowered, giving a stinking eye to the merry canine.

"He's never affectionate with strangers. You're a first." He noted bemusedly. "Usually I end up being tackled, but it seems he wants to change his routine for now."

"His routine was fine, I promise." I heard Mick whine slightly at that.

"Aw, you hurt his feelings." Ninten cooed, patting his dog.

"Like he can understand me."

"He does. Mick's really bright. Smart enough not to talk, I'd say! That's why I don't even put him on a leash."

"That's all a load of baloney." I replied, still wiping the slobber off my glasses. Ninten and his dog had similar hurt looks. I tried my best not to laugh at the sight. A car pulled over behind us, and Ness got out of the car holding a tupperware container. He did bring his own steak after all. His mom waved at us then sped off out of view.

"Hey, dorks." He greeted, "Sorry I kept you waiting." Ninten's dog froze at the sight of Ness. He shifted his widened eyes between his owner and the newcomer, then scampered back to his doghouse, whimpering.

"Wow. Such courage." Ness noted dryly. "Is your dog vegetarian too?"

"Hey! Mick _isn't_ scared of strangers." Ninten objected. "I mean, most of the time."

"I assume that's a first?" Ness said.

"Yeah. He just tackled Lloyd to the floor and licked his face."

"Maybe he got confused when he saw two Nintens at the same time." I suggested.

"You mean two Nesses." Ness shot back.

"Or," Ninten chipped in, "It's because you're obviously insufferable. Dogs are good judges of character, you know."

"Your dog wouldn't know a good character if it hit him in the snout. I'm sure King isn't scared witless at seeing me everyday."

"King?"

"My dog. He's old, but really cool."

"Whatever." Ninten rolled his eyes and motioned to us to follow him inside. "So you guys wanna start the barbecue thing now or play games and watch movies first?"

"Games and movies. I'd rather be really hungry before we start grilling. I brought a lot of steak." Ness said. I nodded in agreement.

"Cool. To my room then." Ninten suddenly paused in front of the door then turned to face us. An evil smirk crept up his face. "Hey, Ness?" He sang as he took off his neckerchief.

"What?"

Ninten walked back towards us. He placed a hand on Ness' shoulder and pointed to the door. "Get in first."

"Huh?"

"I wanna see how my sisters will react to seeing you. Go in, C'mon." He urged, then tied the red cloth around his double's neck and flipped his cap to the left. It was unsettling how the two suddenly switched with the neckerchief tied on the other's neck instead.

Ness looked at Ninten like if he had lost his mind. "Erm, okay." He padded past Ninten, opened the door and stepped inside. Ninten hid behind the front door and ushered me in too. He was trying his hardest not to break into mad cackles. What was up with him?

I noticed that Ninten's house smells really nice. The living room wasn't spacious, but the furniture was tastefully arranged so it gave it a much roomier feel. We spotted a redheaded girl with pigtail braids sitting in front of the TV. She lifted her head at us then shot Ness a murderous glare.

"NINTEN!" She screeched as she stood up and hurled a book at the hapless impostor. Its spine clocked Ness dead in the face. He yowled and grabbed his injured nose. The little girl still had that deadly glare on her face.

"That's what you get for stealing Minnie's cookies, _and_ breaking my doll this morning." Yikes! The girl was probably half my size, but I still hid behind Ness. I didn't want a book to the face, either.

"Ouch. Sorry, I uh, didn't mean to?" Ness stammered an apology for some reason. The girl raised an eyebrow, her glare now turned into a smirk.

"Aww.. You're sowwy? Who are you and what did you do to my brother?" She quipped sarcastically, placing a hand on her hip.

"My name is Ness and your stupid brother is standing behind the door." Ness took the rhetorical question seriously, still rubbing his nose. "Grr. Ninten set me up. I won't forget this." The girl's smile fell when she heard howling laughter behind the door. Ninten walked inside, obviously in stitches.

"Ah man, that was.. Ness was.." He wasn't able to finish his words. He exploded into another fit of giggles again, slapping his knee. He wheezed and reached for his inhaler, shakily taking a few puffs, then returned into sputtering chortles. Ness gave him a sour look, while Ninten's sister looked absolutely mortified.

"Oh.. Oh my gosh!" Her eyes widened in shock, realizing she had just chucked a book at a complete stranger. "I'm so sorry. I thought you were, but, but he is.. I was.." She was at a complete loss of words, pointing her finger between Ninten and Ness. "Ninten, you're mean!" She yelled, stomped her foot and ran off, face redder than her hair.

"That was the best prank ever," Ninten snorted. "Her face was _priceless_ , oh god." Ness grabbed him by the shirt and pinned him against the wall.

"No, it was _not._ " He hissed. His voice was comically nasal. "I think you owe me an apology and a plastic surgery for my broken nose."

"Hell, you were always ugly. Slap a bit of makeup and nobody will notice." Ninten replied, a smug grin plastered on his face. Ness let him go and huffed, still rubbing his now bright-red nose.

"Dang, that girl should play baseball. That _hurts_."

"It was a hardcover book. I'm glad your nose didn't actually break." I finally spoke up, amused at Ness' dog-like behavior. "You might end up with a bruise, though." That made Ness rub the bridge of his nose harder.

"Stop rubbing your nose. You'll pass as a Santa's reindeer if you keep it up." Ninten said, batting Ness' hands away from his face. "Let's put your steak in the fridge and go to my room. Give me back my 'kerchief. If Minnie saw you she might do the same thing. Mind you, her aiming is sharper than Mimmie."

"I feel bad for you. I got a little sister named Tracy and she's quite a handful. If there were two of her at the same time I'd go mad." Ness said while we were going to Ninten's room.

"Glad you can tell the torture I go through everyday." Ninten noted, tying back the goofy thing around his neck.

"Hope you suffer more of it." Ness replied in a humorless tone.

"But why would you break your sister's doll, though?" I asked.

"It was an honest mistake. An unfortunate accident." He shrugged, opening the door to his room "At least they just realized there was a music box inside its head."

"Uh huh." I replied as I followed Ninten and Ness inside. The room also had that comfortable roomy feel. An unmade bed was near the window across the room, and a tidy bed stood at the other side of the room, with a desk in between. I set down my bag near the TV set opposite of the desk, and fished out the fortunately intact video game console and placed it below the TV. Ninten broke out the VCR and placed it next to my SNES.

"What movies did you bring?" Ness piped up. "I got Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

"I got Mrs. Doubtfire." I said, pointing to Ninten's backpack.

"Lame." Ness said.

"Shut up. Robin Williams is awesome. Did you even watch the movie?"

"N-no, I watched the trailer on TV, and it's silly."

"Don't knock it before you watch it." Ninten replied. "Let's get Ness' movie out of the way first. I'll go bring the popcorn."

"I don't want popcorn," Ness said. "I told ya I wanna keep my appetite for the steak."

"And I can't watch two movies in a row without popcorn and something to drink. If you don't want any, that's more for me and Lloyd." Ninten remarked in a deadpan, and walked out to grab the stuff. I watched Ness poking around the room. He picked up the electric guitar standing next to the closet.

"Imagine Ninten pulling some sick solos with that thing." Ness said, fiddling with the strings. He strummed, the resulting noise was quite cringeworthy.

"That sounded awful." I said, wincing at the broken notes.

"Shh. That's art, right there." He strummed a few terrible off-key chords, then gave up. "Eh, it's just out of tune."

"Y-you're out of tune." I replied. Ness gave me a miffed look and began strumming some sour tunes, then he began singing. His voice took a mock-southern drawl, but his strumming was terrible to listen to. Whatever song this was, it was being mangled to shreds. He feigned playing some solo, the train wreck of his shrill playing assaulted my ears.

"Stop. Please." I begged while covering my ears. Ness laughed and put down the guitar. I was glad it was unplugged at least. A moment later, Ninten came in, balancing the popcorn bowl and three large cups of soda in his arms. He looked a second short of dropping it all, so Ness hurried and picked up the cups.

We huddled in front of the TV and Ninten slid the videocassette in the player, spending the next four hours staring at the square screen and watching the movies. Ninten sat cross-legged in the middle, Ness to his right and I was to his left. The popcorn bowl sat between us, but Ninten was slightly hogging the bowl, not that I minded much. Ninten eventually noticed he was hogging, but only when the popcorn bowl was emptied. How convenient. After the second movie ended, I turned around and faced Ness, whose expression was unreadable.

"So, what do you think?"

"I.." Ness lowered his head in defeat. "Okay, I'll give you that. It was good."

"Just good?"

"No, it was great."

"Good to hear." I chirped and stood up, plugging in the SNES. I paused before I pressed the purple 'power' button, my stomach was grumbling. I looked at the two in front of the TV.

"Um. Can we leave games for later?" I asked shyly, "I'm really hungry."

"Me too." Ness seconded. "It's past five o'clock already, so we got an hour or two of daylight tops. It's no fun grilling at night."

"You're right. I don't like grilling at night either." Ninten said. He stood up and grabbed the emptied bowl and cups. "Outdoors, then! Lemme just put those in the sink first."

We followed Ninten downstairs. Ness and I stood in front of the backdoor while Ninten went into the kitchen and dumped the bowl and cups in the sink. We spotted Ninten's mom in the living room. She was a tall woman with feathered blonde hair. Somehow she didn't confuse Ness with her son. I guess it's a mothers' thing. She gave us the obligatory 'be-careful-around-the-grill-and-don't-make-a-huge-mess' lecture.

Outside, I watched Ness arrange charcoals in a neat mound and pour lighter fluid on top, then Ninten cleaned up the grates, placed them back on top and tossed a lit match on the glistening coals, igniting the lighter fluid. Fifteen minutes later, he was prodding the whitened coals, spreading them out in a single layer. Meanwhile, I spent the whole time trying to bat Mick away from the steak and ribs that sat on top of the wooden table near the grill. He didn't seem interested in the vegetable chunks. Eventually, the dog grew bored of me and began harassing Ness.

"Hey, Ninten. If your dog keeps this up, I swear I'll throw him in the grill." Ness warned.

"You're horrible." Ninten appeared aghast at the threat.

"Well, some cultures dig barbecued doggies, you know."

"Shut up. Mick stays at least 10 feet away from the grill." Ninten said, returning his attention at the grilling pieces of meat. "Just try to keep him away. Play fetch or something."

Fetch? Sounds easy enough. I picked up a nearby twig and whistled at the dog. "Catch!" I yelled, throwing the twig as far as I could. Mick darted across the yard and grabbed the twig. A moment later, he placed the slobbered up twig at my feet. Eugh, dogs can produce their own weight in saliva, it seems.

"N-nice work." I said, reluctantly patting the happy dog on the head. I grabbed the wet twig with a napkin and tossed it back, "Do it again." This went on for a while, then Ninten declared the meat ready to dig into. Ness was going to grab one, but Ninten stopped him.

"Ah-ah." Ninten said, clicking his tongue. "Let it rest first. Otherwise all the juiciness will drip off."

"But I want one now." Ness whined. They bickered on for a minute, in which Mick took the opportunity to make off with a piece of steak. Ness looked like he was a moment away from bursting into tears.

"My steaks!" He whimpered, pointing at the direction Mick ran off to. "Your mangy, filthy dog stole my steaks!"

"Pipe down, you big baby. He stole one tiny piece."

"But I had my eyes on _that_ piece from the beginning."

"Shut up and eat your food, goober."

We sat down and plated up the grilled meat and veggies. I thought grilling slices of pineapple was a dumb idea, but the end result proved me wrong. Ninten and I watched Ness wolf down the steak with his bare hands.

"There is this invention civilized people use, Ness. It's called 'utensils'." I said, a little bothered by his messy eating. Ness leaned at me and chewed his food noisily in spite. Ninten shrugged and continued carving the ribs.

"It's like sitting with a five-year old." He said, placing slices of ribs on my plate. It was funny to see how Ninten acted like the adult here.

"Just so you know," Ness spoke through his food, then swallowed. "This is the traditional way of eating steak in Eagleland. Are you dissing my country's culture?"

"You call this culture? I haven't been to Eagleland, but I'm sure they don't eat their food like savages." Ninten replied in an unamused tone.

"I've been to Fourside once with my parents. I can assure you Eaglelanders have proper table manners." I said, adjusting the bridge of my glasses.

"Ten bucks say you didn't step a foot outside the dinosaur museum." Ness said.

He was right. _Almost_.

"I.. I did visit the theater and the Monotoli Building, but a lady who worked there yelled at me because she thought I was, um.. 'staring at her hips' or something." I felt embarrassed, remembering the memory.

"Oooh." Ninten and Ness crooned in unison. I felt my cheeks heat up. I set myself up for this — Why did I even tell them?

"Sh-shut up, I was in an elevator and I was with mom. I wouldn't look at her like.." I flailed my arms, trying to come up with words. "Like _that_."

"Right." Ness drawled. The conversation came to a lull. I busied myself with emptying my plate. Ninten did grill a lot of meat. I was close to bursting, but the food was so good. Ness finished his food first, since he was practically inhaling his plate's content. Ninten kicked back and placed his arms around his head.

"This was a glorious meal." He said. Ness eyed the half-finished steak on my plate, then tried on his best puppy eyes. I sighed and forked it over. It disappeared within seconds.

"Your stomach is a bottomless pit." Ninten said.

"I'm a growing boy. I need all of that."

"You're growing, all right. Growing fat."

"Hey!"

Ninten shrugged, then stood up and walked over to the grill. He closed the lid to choke the fire while I gathered the plates. After a few minutes of cleaning up, we returned to Ninten's room. We played a round of video games, and by 10 pm Ness announced he had to go home. I saw Mimmie apologize for the afternoon mishap. Ninten let out a snicker, earning him a glare from his little sister and an elbow jab from the other capped boy. After Ness left, I lazed around with Ninten, talking about games, school, comics, Ness' atrocious table manners and whatever crossed our minds. Eventually, I let out a yawn.

"What time is it?" I asked Ninten, stretching my arms.

"Just a little past 1:30."

"Ah. It's that late already? I haven't even changed into pyjamas."

"Yeah, I was thinking of hitting the hay too." He motioned to the door, "The bathroom is the next door on your right."

I grabbed my backpack and fished out my stuff. I went to the bathroom and shimmied into my gray PJs. I brushed my teeth, grabbed my clothes and walked back into Ninten's room. The lights were off save for a table lamp on his nightstand. He was already in his pyjamas, reading a magazine on his bed. I placed my everyday clothes on the desk chair, and placed my shoes underneath the desk. I sat on the edge of the other bed, looking at the pillows.

"Hey, Lloyd." Ninten said, his eyes still scanning the magazine in front of him.

"Mm?"

"Your dad said you were reading about, what was it again?"

"'Extrasensory phenomena'", I quoted.

"Yeah that." Ninten nodded, "Is it about my 'thing'?" He lifted his eyes from his magazine and looked at me.

"I- Yes, it is." I said, seeing no point in hiding it.

"Tell you the truth, I never bothered to read up anything about it." He admitted, "So I'm a bit curious. Found anything noteworthy?"

I told him about what I've found so far, about types of PSI, how most findings turned out to be fake or misled. I decided not to tell him about 'George', since I even doubted the book's existence.

"Hm." He hummed. "I don't think I'm capable of creating fire or ice. I'm capable of defending myself, but not inflicting direct harm."

"Also you can teleport, but you never showed me how." I said.

"If I wanted to teleport to a far place, it has to be somewhere I've been to already, and I'd need to run at least fifty yards. If I bump into something on the way I assure you it won't look pretty. Maybe with practice I might even teleport to much further places."

"Won't running be bad because of your asthma?"

"Hey, mine isn't that bad." He said, "Anyway. For short distances it's like slipping from my place and into the next. It has to be within sight, though."

"So, you won't need a runway for you to get to the kitchen and back." I said with a hint of sarcasm.

I felt the mattress dip as Ninten suddenly materialized behind me.

"Nope." He said, a wide grin on his face. I gasped and fell off the bed. I ended up a flailing mess on the floor.

"D-Don't do that!" I squeaked. I was caught completely off-guard. Ninten let out a hearty chuckle.

"You wanted to see how I teleport." He sat up and leaned his back against the cushioned headboard.

"Y-you startled me." I said, still mimicking a sack of potatoes on the floor.

"Sorry." His smug grin indicated he wasn't particularly remorseful. I pouted at him and stood up.

"Lie down with me, Lloyd." Ninten said daintily and patted the empty space next to him.

"What? No." I replied.

"I insist." He said in the same dainty tone, batting his eyelashes. What a dolt.

"You're such a dork." I rolled my eyes, then plopped down on the bed next to him. The bed was wide enough for me to sit comfortably to his left. We sat in silence for a moment. I noticed Ninten smelled nice like his house, and how his legs were longer, his legs extending a little further than my own. I curled my toes absentmindedly.

"Hey, check this out." Ninten said, nudging my side.

"Check what out?" I asked. He extended his left hand up and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. Each finger glowed white, then a small elongated hexagonal shape appeared, glowing in midair.

"Whoa." I breathed. The hexagon was translucent and looked like ice. It multiplied into four, then eight, then the hexagons filled a three-foot long arc above us. Each shape was glowing a soft white, then turned transparent. I tried poking one. It felt like a pane of glass, but it was warm and slightly buzzing against my fingertip.

"What's that?" I asked breathlessly. I was in awe.

"Something that I had to go through a splitting headache the other day before realizing I can actually do it." Ninten replied, "I think it can function as a shield of some sort, since it's actually a physical barrier."

"Wow." I breathed. I placed my hand on Ninten's glowing one and gently moved it around. The buzzing hexagons followed the direction of Ninten's hand lo and fro, reflecting the light from the table lamp on the other side of the room. A while later, they wavered for a moment, then faded away. Ninten looked visibly exhausted.

"Phew. Never tried to do this much at the same time. I'm pooped!" Ninten said. He let out a yawn, then flopped down on a pillow and faced the wall. "G'night." He was soon out like a light.

Come to think of it, I was ready to call it a night, too. I placed my glasses on the nightstand and lied down as well.

I dreamt of warm hexagons engulfing me in a protective shell.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I noticed I need to pay closer attention to some colloquialisms in the story: Americans don't say 'pongy' to describe smelly things - That's a slightly British/Aussie thing to say. -_-**

 **AzureNove:** **Thank you. I'm glad you like this story. :D Sure bullies are relentless and nasty, but it's the friendships we make that count. (That sounded awfully cheesy. Ignore me please. XD)**

 **We all fell out with one of our parents at some point when we were young. Part of growing up, I guess. Good thing that we get over differences eventually.**

 **Anonymous: Thanks, mate. :) Ana is a main character in EB:Beginnings, so she had to make an appearance. She is going to play a larger role later in the story. **

**Connor the Spelling Pro: I know. Maybe it's a thing to make sure nobody uses HTML tags or something. You can't use the "greater-than" and "lesser-than" symbols either. Try it if you want. **

**Getting a far off answer in algebra is never far-off. I learned it the hard way too back in eighth grade. XD**

 **Pop culture, Seems like I'm in the same boat. What the heck is "The whip"? My musical taste is a little weird - I prefer metal, rock and alternative. I used to listen to a lot of classical music, not so much these days though. I don't know many popular artists, but I think there are a lot of new 'more-butts-than-talent' singers lately. Use the term "singer" loosely. As for swearing, me too - I have a chronic case of potty mouth. That's why everybody tells me I'm not OK to be around kids, even though they seem to love me. :P**

 **I didn't mean for George's book to sound like it was mass-printed. Maybe a few copies here and there. As the books said, it might've been lost forever. I think I may have to make a small edit to make it sound rarer than a well-published work.**

 **I'm happy to know your parents are supportive of you. :) My condolences for your cousins though. XD Engineering can be a pain, but for it's extremely fun to get to know how stuff work. Science for the sake of science might get a little boring for me. I prefer learning to know how to make useful things out of it.**

 **I did notice your switching through multiple POVs - Great to let the reader know what a certain character thinks. I imagine narration like how'd I see the scene in my mind. In first-person POV, it's like I'm seeing the scene happen through the eyes of the main character. 3rd person narration feels like being a fly on the wall, observing the story unfold. Both are equally great, depending on the story of course. Thanks for the review. :D**

 **RagefulThief: Thank you. ^^ Haha yeah, he should, but I thought it would be a funny thing for an English, English teacher with a last name English, so I based Mr. English on Jake from HS. :P**


	9. Chapter 9 - The Morning After

**A WHOLE WEEK! A whole week has passed, and I haven't coughed up a new chapter for this story. I usually write most of it on weekends, but this one had been hectic. I may have been slightly drunk when I sat down and wrote a lot of things because I ended up scrapping almost everything the next day - I got creative, but the bad kind of creative. Anyway, without further ado, here's the next chapter. I apologise in advance: Not a lot of things happen (i.e. a sorta filler chapter), but the next chapter's outline is written out and should be out soon. [Review responses at the end of this chapter]**

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 **Chapter 9 - October 1, 199X - The Morning After**

Too darn bright.

It was also quite toasty in here despite the chill outside. I opened my eyes, half-blinded by the light filtering in from behind the curtains and the forgotten table lamp left on from last night. I remembered that Ninten was still sleeping like a log next to me. He was hogging the blankets and he spread his limbs all over the place; his foot ended up on top of my knee and his arm was splayed across my chest. I thought it was a bit strange to share a bed with him. I'm no expert on 'sleepover etiquette', but I saw nothing wrong with two friends sleeping together for the night. I was surprised I didn't wake up to his snoring. I was going back to sleep when I realized I had a pretty full bladder.

I'd probably piss myself right there if I don't find a bathroom _immediately_.

As slowly as possible, I crawled out of bed as not to wake Ninten up. He seemed like a pretty heavy sleeper anyway. He was now cuddling the pillow instead. I grabbed my glasses and exited the room towards the bathroom to find that it was occupied. There must be another one downstairs.

I walked down the staircase and looked around for the bathroom. I obviously had no idea where it might be. I saw a couple of doors at the other side of the living room. I shuffled towards one and opened it. Instead of a bathroom, I found myself peering into a dark, dusty room. There was a giant bookshelf along the length of the wall overflowing with books, and an old, heavy-looking mahogany desk sat in the middle of the room. I stepped inside, knowing it was rude of me to snoop in a room I probably shouldn't be in, but the sight of so many books in one place drew me in like a moth to a flame.

I traced my finger along the books, reading the titles on the covers. There were books on everything I could imagine. Physics, chemistry, literature, history.. This library dwarfed the one at home. So many books I've never seen before! I bet the book Ninten's little sister threw at Ness yesterday must have been here at some point. I turned my attention at the mahogany desk. It was enormous, and looked pretty heavy. The style seemed to be dated, and dust covered everything. I couldn't see very well in the windowless room, but from what I could see from the light seeping in from the hallway, the dust had a brownish hue to it. Merrysville was in the middle of limestone mountains, so dust here tended to be whitish-gray in color. It must have been gathering dust since it was in their old house in Podunk or possibly elsewhere. It seemed that Ninten's family rarely went here. I opened one of the heavy drawers, and found an old elliptical-bordered sepia picture of a very beautiful lady. She had fair hair, light eyes and dressed in simple country clothes. Maybe this was Ninten's grandma? I noticed the right half of the picture was torn, but I could see there was probably a man standing in the missing portion. I felt a blush creep up my face — I was being too nosy, but my curiosity got the better of me. I returned the photo to its place on the drawer and tried pulling the one below. It was stuck in its place, a heavy object seemed to be inside. I tugged harder and the drawer slid outwards with a 'thud', making me accidentally smack myself in the chest. I winced and peeked inside. There was a large black book with its pages yellowed and its cover was badly scratched. I picked it up and flipped open a random page.

 _…_ _Inexplicitus psychicae forcae ex mens, sed quoque exeat nihilo. Homo vulgaris non potest discere tales energiae solus. …_

I made a face at the unintelligible sentence. This was probably in Latin, but the second word caught my attention. "psychicae forcae"? There were several other pages in plain English talking about PSI. I felt my heart race as I flipped to the pages right behind the cover. They were empty, but the name 'George' was written in small, tidy handwriting on the bottom edge of the first page. This was George's book!

My bladder threatened it might empty its contents any time now. I shuffled my feet, doing the awkward chicken dance people did when they needed to _go_ as soon as possible. I grabbed the book under my arm and rushed out of the study. The next door turned out to be the bathroom. I quickly flopped down on the toilet and let out a relieved sigh. Turning my attention back to the book in my hands, I wondered how it ended up being in a forgotten drawer in Ninten's house of all places. The books I've read referred this book through second-hand sources at best, as in 'We heard from X through Y that Z stumbled upon a manuscript that said this and that', implying a handful of copies if any were in existence. This book is a treasure if it was authentic, and here I am reading an exceptionally rare book in the bathroom while on the john.

I noticed that one half of the book was in English and written with a really cursive but legible handwriting, the second half was in English and Latin, and a typewriter was likely used to write it up. The yellowed margins were full of scribbled notes that varied in age. Some notes looked fairly recent, most likely written using a ballpoint pen. some looked much older. This book must have changed hands multiple times during its century-old life.

The style of writing was personal, as if the writer was stating their thoughts or writing in a diary. The page I was reading was some poetry about someone who had lost his tail. Uh, okay? I flipped to the next chapter, which was titled 'On the Origins of Psionic Potential in Humans.' The title piqued my interest to read on.

 _'_ _Ordinary humans are incapable of demonstrating any extra-sensory abilities. The human mind is spectacularly complex, but even the mind has its limitations. The very idea of psychokinesis - moving remote items with one's mental will alone - is in direct conflict with classical physical laws, including the conservation of momentum and the second law of thermodynamics. Predestination, which is the foreknowledge of events before their occurrence, negates the concept of random processes. However, Longstanding claims of allegedly fictitious psychokinesis, telepathy or precognition are almost ubiquitous to human cultures worldwide. From mystics to prophets to gurus. The conception of legends sometimes occurs from exaggerating a real life incident. The existence of such claims and legends worldwide can be simply dismissed as a few people's pipe dreams, but I am led to believe there is evidence that such powers might exist within the frame of known scientific laws. They are attainable via exposure to a substance that does not occur naturally anywhere in and around our solar system, but might reach Earth through meteorites. A mineral compound largely based on a foreign element that is capable of generating and amplifying variable amounts of energy at one's will. For the sake of convention, I shall refer to it as 'Zexonyte'. At first, developing psionic capabilities is only possible through exposure to the compound in the womb, especially while the nervous system is still developing. The element is highly absorbable in the bloodstream, therefore it coalesces into nodules inside the fetus's immature nervous system. Adult (i.e. postnatal) exposure can possibly lead to multiple cancers, and some newborn children that possess Zexonyte nodules might suffer from debilitating illnesses or deformities and die young. In the rare occurrence of a healthy, Zexonyte-bearing baby, nodules that are exposed to the nervous electric impulses generate psionic capabilities which manifest since birth and develop during puberty. Side symptoms of developing powers include migraines, pyrexia (fever), epistaxes (nosebleeds), syncope (fainting), among other recurrent systematic symptoms. The PSI-capable individual is most likely to be male, their direct descendants will not inherit said abilities despite possessing the element, but third generation male offspring have a higher chance of having PSI. Female PSI-capable individuals exist, however they are extremely rare: occurring only via in-utero exposure to Zexonyte, and often they are twice as potent as their male counterparts…'_

I stopped reading and closed the book. There was too much information to wrap my head around. I realized I was still sitting in the bathroom. I had no idea how much time I spent reading, but somebody might take notice I've been in here for too long. I stood up and finished my business, grabbed the book and exited the bathroom. Much to my relief, there was nobody in the living room.

I sat down on the couch in front of the TV and stared at the black screen. From what I gathered while reading that verbose page, Ninten's PSI was either through accidental exposure to that 'Zexonyte' thing, _or_ that his grandfather got it first. It made sense if one of Ninten's ancestors had psychic powers and possessed a rare book on the topic. I think I'll look up anything to do with meteorite sightings around Podunk in the last decade to see which was the case. I glared at the book. It was so dusty my gray pyjamas were now splotched with brownish dust. I had to return it. I shouldn't have peeked into that study in the first place.

I quickly snuck back into the dusty old room, placed the book back in its drawer and left. The wall clock told me the time was 9 AM. I bet Ninten was still soundly sleeping. I usually woke up around this time everyday, so I wasn't planning on going back to sleep. I trotted back to Ninten's room to find him still snoring like a buzzsaw and the blankets were now on the floor. He scratched his exposed stomach and smacked his lips. His hair looked ridiculous without the cap. I walked to the bed and nudged his shoulder.

"Hey, Ninten. Wake up." I said. He waved his hand and muttered something I couldn't hear.

"Ninten." I poked him again. "Wake up, man. I'm bored."

"Mmm.. Not today. Do it yourself." He groaned and shifted to his side, his voice was gravelly and thick with sleep. I crouched to his level, nearing my face too close to his. I tapped his shoulder again. This time he cracked open his bleary eyes.

"Wake up." I said in a monotone and flicked his nose. Ninten stared dumbly at me for a moment, then let out a girly shriek and recoiled away, his head bumped into mine. I stood up, rubbing my forehead.

"D-d-d-don't do THAT!" Ninten cried out, breathing rapidly and clutching his chest. "You don't.." He gulped, "You don't do this to sleeping people, dude. Not cool!"

"It was that or pouring water on your face."

"That's even worse. You're horrible." He sat up, giving me a hurt look.

"Well, sorry." The smirk on my face indicated otherwise.

He crossed his arms in front of his chest and put on a childish pout, glaring at me for a solid minute. "Make it up to me by making breakfast."

"I'm not your wife, Ninten." I replied flatly, mirroring his pose.

"No, but you scared me halfway to _death_. You owe me bacon, omelettes, toast, pancakes and waffles."

"T-That's not healthy."

"I don't care." Ninten replied, stretching his arms and letting out a yawn. He got out of bed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at me expectantly. Wait, was he being for real?

"I'm not making you pancakes and waffles. I don't even know how to cook." I said.

"Sure, sure. I need to stuff my face anyway."

"Um.. Shouldn't we wait for the others to wake up?"

"Hey, first come first served." He shrugged, "My mom and sisters don't wake up before midday on weekends. I would've woken up late too, you know." He gave me a pointed look and shuffled towards the corridor.

"Oh.. But I woke up early." I said, following him.

"You could've gone back to sleep."

"Once I'm awake I can't go back and sleep." I thought I could've gone back to reading the book I found, but it was too late to do that since Ninten was up now.

"So you chose to scare me awake?"

"Maybe because somebody teleported behind me last night?"

"Ugh, you're still salty about that?" He fixed me a slightly annoyed look.

"I'm not salty. It was just, er, swift justice." I said, "Okay, maybe I was a little huffy about it, but not too much."

"Saltier than a bag of pretzels."

"I assure you, my sodium levels are average."

Ninten flopped down on the chair in front of the kitchen counter and rested his forehead on the marble top.

"The weather looks awful." Ninten said, peering at the window above the sink.

"It might rain this afternoon." I replied as I walked up to the coffee machine.

"Coffee?" I offered, browsing the cupboards for grounds.

"Nah. Coffee makes me all jittery and twitchy." He replied, then lifted his head, placing his chin on the countertop. "Aren't you a bit young for coffee?"

"I'm twelve, not four. I've been drinking coffee for years. My parents never told me I shouldn't drink it. As long as I keep it to one cup a day." I said, pouring water into the machine.

"A friend told me coffee stunts growth, but most likely he pulled that fact out of his butt." Ninten shrugged, then stared into space.

I placed the filter and turned on the coffee maker, then went to the fridge. I fished out the ingredients we needed to 'stuff our faces' (as eloquently put by Ninten) with omelettes and bacon. Ninten kept staring lazily at the brewing coffee as if it held the secrets of the universe. I guess he drifted off into his own world. In around 20 minutes, steaming hot omelettes and crispy bacon filled two plates. We ate in silence. Ninten was obviously still half-asleep; his arms slowly moved the food to his mouth and chewed his food mechanically while his eyes were half-lidded and staring into nothing in particular. My mind kept wandering back to the contents of the book. I only read a page and there must be a lot of things I could know. I raked my memory for anything I might have read on an element that can amplify electric signals. I never heard of such thing. I took a sip from my coffee.

"So, you went into the study?" Ninten said. I almost spat my drink into his face. I swallowed the burning liquid and coughed, knocking on my chest.

"What?" I croaked.

"I suck at reading minds, but sometimes I can hear a nagging thought. I heard you thinking about a book you read from my granddad's library." He said in a deadpan.

"Oh. I.." I was mortified. "I didn't mean to.. I-I was looking for the bathroom but, umm.. I.. Honest I wasn't snooping around b-but there were so many books I couldn't help checking them out. I'm really-"

Ninten cut my sputtering rant off by raising his palm. His expression quirked into a smirk.

"Well, dunno which book from that old geezer's bookshelf that piqued your interest, but you're welcome to take it if you want."

He said his granddad's library?

"Um.. Just a quick question." I wasn't sure how to ask. "W-was your grandpa called George?" I said, fidgeting with my hands.

Ninten's expression darkened. He gave me an owlish stare. I felt anxious under his gaze.

"My dad's grandfather was called George." He said. "Why do you ask?"

I told him about the book that sat in the forgotten drawer, feeling my embarrassment color my cheeks red. Ninten seemed perplexed.

"I didn't know such a thing existed." He said. "Not sure about the details, but one day George vanished along with his wife, Mary. She was pregnant with my grandfather when that happened. When George returned with his son two years later, nobody knew what happened to his wife or where he had been. He holed himself up into his study and began obsessively researching something. His sister asked him about Mary's whereabouts but he never said a word. She later discovered his son dwelling in his filth and was seldom fed. She decided to take him in and raise him herself." He recited the story in a flat tone, still giving me that stare.

I wasn't sure what to make of his family's history, but I couldn't say it wasn't rough for his grandfather. Ninten scratched his arm absentmindedly.

"I wanna read it." Ninten said. "Never bothered to know anything about my great-grandpa, and I never knew he researched PSI."

"Almost half of the book is in Latin, Ninten." I said.

"Oh. Bummer." Ninten deflated. "And the second half?"

"Plain English."

"Mmm.. You know what, you take it. You're better than me when it comes to such things. You can tell me the gist of it later." He said.

"O-oh. Okay. If.. If that's what you want, then sure." Whoopee! More research.

We finished up with our little breakfast and sat idly in the living room. Ninten was ready to fall asleep again.

"Where was the.. Whatchamacallit - the book thing?" Ninten gestured vaguely with his hand.

"Inside a drawer in the study room. Should I get it?" He nodded. I hopped off my seat and went into the aforementioned dusty place. A minute later, I emerged and placed the heavy journal on Ninten's lap. He cringed at the copious amounts of dust that covered the thing.

"Man, did they dunk it in the Sahara?" He blew at it, generating a plume of dust. We both coughed and sneezed. He placed the book on the table in front of him. I plopped down on the couch. We stayed like that for a few minutes.

"Are we going to stare at each other all day?" He had a markedly bored expression on his face.

"I think I should go home already anyway. I told mom I'd be back before noon."

"Oh. I'll tell you what." He shot up from his armchair. "I wanna walk the dog too." He said that while yawning, covering his gaping mouth with the back of his hand.

"It's not exactly sunny enough for a walk outside."

"Bah. Nothing beats the crisp morning air."

"I don't you see much crisp morning air." I said, standing up as well.

"Do I hear sarcasm? Gosh, you're spending way too much time with Ness."

"I only see Ness when you're around."

"Are you implying that you plan on adopting my awesome sense of humor?"

"Uh. No?"

"Shame." He said, climbing the stairs into his room. I grabbed my clothes and got dressed in the bathroom. I took a quick glance at myself in the mirror. Was that a cowlick in my hair? It looked like a mock of the twins' trademark hairdo. I smoothed down that rogue strand of hair and walked out to Ninten's room. I gathered my stuff in my bag and pulled it on. Ninten was already at the front door dressed in his usual everyday clothes sans the red neckerchief. He stepped outside the front door. I stopped by the living room to grab the book, then followed outside. I immediately wrapped my arms around my shoulders, shivering at the frigid air.

"C-cold." I said, feeling the wind nip at my arms.

"It isn't that cold, really. Wait here I'll go get you a jacket or something." Ninten said and dashed up to his room. A minute later, he came back and handed me a gray zip up hoodie with a yellow goofy face drawing on the front with the word 'Nirvana' above it. I tugged it on anyway. It was a bit long at the sleeves, but I'll take the warmth despite it being a size too big.

"Better?" Ninten asked.

"Better. Thanks." I replied. We went over to the doghouse to find Mick's nose poking out from the hole in front. It twitched when we got near, and the whole dog leapt out of his dwelling, seemingly excited at seeing us at this hour on a Saturday. He placed his front paws on my knees, wagging his tail and giving me pleading eyes.

"He sure likes you a lot." Ninten said, a slight pang of jealousy in his voice, "And I'm the one who feeds him."

I petted Mick on the head and he got his paws off my legs. I noticed his collar lacked a leash.

"You walk him without a leash?" I asked, examining the collar. There was a tiny key hanging around a loop. A tag reading "Mick" also hung from the same loop.

"Never had to. He's always obedient." Ninten said, crouching to his pet's level.

"You shouldn't do this, you know. What if he ran off in the middle of the road and got injured somehow?"

"Mick's smarter than that."

"Mick is a dog. Dogs are stupid by definition."

"You're not a dog person. I'm surprised Mick even likes you."

"Same here." Mick whined and cocked his head at that. I won't give in to his puppy eyes. I scratched behind his ears anyway. NOT because of the puppy eyes. Ninten tied a leash around Mick's collar and gave me the other end. He murmured something about betrayal and not wanting to take part in it. I shrugged and gave the leash an experimental tug. Mick was still sitting on his hindquarters, waiting obediently.

"See? Told you he'd never run off." Ninten said, puffing his chest proudly. "Look, he doesn't like the leash either."

Once we were out of the front porch, we spotted a peculiar cat running on the other side of the road with a few burnt hairs on its back. Mick barked and tried to give chase, nearly lifting me off the ground. I dug my heels and tugged at the leash to stop him from chasing the unfortunate feline.

"Or not." Ninten deadpanned. "That's a—"

"That's a first?" I completed.

"Yeah. Good thing we leashed him."

I would have gloated, but playing tug-of-war with the dog was keeping me a bit busy. Mick calmed down a little once the cat was out of sight, but was still growling. Ninten kneeled down and petted his back in soothing strokes.

"Weird. He never tried chasing cats before. This is the first time he acted aggressively towards anything. That cat is definitely bad news." He said, looking up at me.

"Can't you read his thoughts?" I asked.

"Not really. I mean, animals don't think in words. I can only tell emotions and feelings."

"And how's he feeling now?"

"Like frog hair and twice as fuzzy."

"Beg your pardon?"

"I mean he's fine. A-ok. Everything's good. Super Duper. All quiet on the Western front."

"Okay, you made your point."

"Good." He beamed and stood up. I looked at the striped T-shirt he was wearing.

"I'm surprised you're not freezing solid right now. It's monkeys out here."

"Hey, it's just a bit breezy. I'm used to cold weather so I'm all right."

The two of us walked in companionable silence, with Ninten occasionally giving me tips on walking the dog properly, such as never letting him walk in front of us and keeping the leash at a comfortable height so as not to choke him. Once we were at my house, I handed him his dog's leash.

"It was great last night. Thanks for having me." I said.

"Eh, don't mention it. We should definitely do this again, maybe at your place next time. See ya later, Lloyd." He waved and turned around, his dog followed closely behind.

"See you." I waved back and went inside. I spotted dad in his lab coat sipping coffee and reading a newspaper in the living room. He spotted me walking in and gave me the usual "Hello, son." and returned his attention to the newspaper. I sat my bag down and stood idly near the TV. I remembered the story Ninten told me about his grandfather, and how _his_ father was seldom home. In comparison, dad was home more often, and I knew he cared about my mom, despite not showing it in words.

 _'_ _I could tell your dad sincerely loves you, Lloyd.'_ Ninten's words flashed back in my mind.

Dad finished up his coffee, put down his newspaper and stood up, ready to leave for work already. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Love you, dad." I mumbled, burying my face into his lab coat. Dad blinked, apparently surprised at the sudden show of affection. He patted my head.

"Love you too, son." He said. I let him go and gave him a weak smile. He smiled back and left for his work.

I couldn't deny I wasn't happy at that reply; I was staring at the shut door with a dumb grin on my face. I noticed the large book still sitting near the TV where dad left it yesterday. I lugged the heavy thing upstairs to my room along with my backpack. I remembered that I had George's journal with me. I looked at the long sleeves of the hoodie. I was still wearing Ninten's jacket! I should return it to him later. I couldn't help but notice it smelled just like his house, however cheesy that might have sounded. I pulled the old book from my bag and placed the two new additions next to the pile of books already stacked on my desk. I had a slightly giddy feeling that my collection of books might as well be the best, most extensive sources on psionics in the entire world. Not that somebody kept a record of that, but it was still a world record. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. It was barely past 11 o'clock. It wasn't like I had anything to do today apart from my favorite pastime - reading.

And boy, don't I have a _lot_ to read!

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 **A/N: OK, sorry for making George seem like a huge negligent a-hole, but it's obvious he's a misunderstood soul.**

 **Reviews:**

 **ConnietheCat : I'm happy you like this story. :D**

 **Connor the speling pro : Wait a minute. I just noticed your name had a single 'L' in 'speling'. Well played. Well played indeed. xD**

 **As for Ninten's prank, anybody would've fallen for it (implying I'm not a bit of a mug myself). Maybe except moms. Any mom can tell her children from a hundred lookalikes. Dunno how. About Ninten's relationship with his sisters, I think it may be a form of sibling rivalry. My older sister and I used to be at each other's throats when we were kids, but now it's the absolute opposite. Mom sometimes jokes about when we were little, she caught my sister trying to force feed me marshmallows so I float out of the house. (but since I'm here writing this, it means the attempt failed. :P )**

 **I guess Lloyd is lucky to have Ninten (and Ness) as friends. I believe a few close friends are much better than having many acquaintances. Lloyd grew slightly more confident because of his newfound friends. Kinda like a crutch for his gooey self-esteem.**

 **RagefulThief: Of course you get mentioned! All reviewers get mentioned. OuO Thank you, and you stay awesome too. ^^**

 **adricarra: I know what you mean. Busy schedules are awful. :/**

 **Father issues are a core element in every Mother series game, so it's no surprise they emerge here. Lloyd's relationship with his dad is improving. They care for each other but both don't show it directly.** **I'm glad I made you laugh over those kids' shenanigans, though. Kids their age are funny no matter what they do. :P As for Teddy, I'm not sure where to lump a chain-smoking 17-year-old gang leader in this fic. Might pop up as a cameo, though.**

 **AzureNova: Best use for a doppelgänger is to avoid someone's ire. Can't say Ninten wasn't crafty when he set up that prank. :P ****Lucas and Claus are having a larger role the next chapters, but they're still secondary characters in this story sadly.**

 **Phoesong:** **Hey, Phoesong! :D**

 **Yeah, I grew up watching British movies/shows/news/media in general, so I picked up their accent and figures of speech. I'm trying my best to make the dialogue in this story sound as American as possible, but if the wrong expression slipped in here or there, it's purely unintentional. (My laptop has a UK keyboard/autocorrect so it automatically changes something like "color" to "colour". I hope I made sure it didn't end up showing in the final posts.)**

 **Aww, thank you. I'm really happy you like my writing. I'm still a beginner with lots of things to learn, such as the comma before the end quote thing. XD I made sure I didn't do it in this chapter and I'll edit the previous ones to fix it.**

 **Ness is pretty much a second Ninten, but he has a quirkier personality. I think Ninten could be serious sometimes, but Ness can find a room for sneaking in a witty one-liner in any situation. Both of them are extroverted and enjoy people's company, so both act as counters for Lloyd's hesitant, reserved personality.**


	10. Chapter 10 - Our Esteemed Counselor

**Chapter 10 - October 3, 199X - Our Esteemed Counselor**

Last night was hectic.

Around 3 AM, the whole town woke up to a deafening sound, the earth shaking underneath the houses. Everyone heard the shrill sirens of police cars and fire trucks rushing to the northern part of town, leaving blinking lights in their wake. I lived a little off from there, so I had no idea what happened up in the northern area. There was a rumor of a sudden landslide blocking the railway to Union Station on the road to Podunk. It was bizarre and unexpected that such a freak event occurred in this placid town, yet it had happened once or twice before. It was Monday, so we had to go to school regardless of the landslide. Since the school building was in an open area on the other side of town, they saw no reason to declare it a day off. The landslide seemed to be the talk of everyone this morning. I saw the twins standing by the bus stop, looking like they didn't get a good night's sleep; Claus' slouch was more pronounced, and Lucas had deep circles underneath his eyes. I approached them, tugging the hem of the gray hoodie I wore which may or may not have belonged to a certain black-haired kid.

"Morning, Lloyd," Lucas said tiredly, forcing a sheepish smile. Claus gave me an acknowledging nod.

"Good morning," I greeted back. "You guys look terrible. What happened?"

"You didn't feel the earthquake last night?" Claus spoke up. "A landslide blocked off the railway. Lucas couldn't sleep from the sirens, and I had to calm Boney down all night."

Boney? A dog, no doubt. It seemed I'm the only person in town who didn't own a dog.

"I woke up to that too," I replied. "Guess nobody got enough sleep last night."

"Yup, so we're taking the stink bus to school because I don't feel like walking," Claus said, forcing a smile similar to his brother.

I stood in silence next to them. Small talk is an endurance sport, and I doubted any of us was willing to carry the conversation further. The bus pulled over after a few minutes and we climbed in. It had a new acrid odor on top of the older stench. I scrunched my face at the smell, finding a seat in the back. The twins sat in the row in front of me. Lucas immediately pushed the window open to let in some fresh breeze instead of the fetid air in the bus, while Claus tucked his nose under his shirt and complained. Eventually, the bus pulled over into the school. I hurried out of the malodorous vehicle towards the school building. First class of the week was Ms. Farrell's Science. I usually spotted Ninten by his locker every morning, but I found no trace of the neckerchief-wearing boy. I saw Ana in the hallway, but she had no idea where he was either. I walked into the science classroom and took my usual seat. I eyed the empty space next to me. Was Ninten being late again? I noticed that the teacher wasn't here either. That's weird. Ms. Farrell was the most punctual teacher ever. At least a pair of goons decided to show up early. I quickly cast my gaze down, not willing to make eye contact with the two. A tense minute later, a hand slammed on my desk, jolting me into looking up. I saw the brown-haired bully throwing me a shark smile.

"What have we here? Dwarf sitting all by himself?" He sneered. I looked down and said nothing, feeling my pulse pick up its pace.

"Hmph. I get the silent treatment today? Aw, you hurt my _feelings_."

"I've d-done nothing to you. Leave me alone, please," I said weakly. He scoffed and jabbed my chest.

"You screwed me over with the homework deal. That ain't nothing," He said, venom dripping from his voice. I was surprised everyone else in class seemed to ignore us, busying themselves with mindless chatter.

"W-what do you want?" I said, trying to sound snappy or impatient. He grabbed me by the collar.

"Oh, I'll tell you what I want. I want-"

"What the hell are you _doing_?" I heard someone bellow. I snapped my head towards the door to find a fuming Ninten. His features were visibly tired and his face was pale despite the angry scowl. He strode towards the bully, who let me go a moment earlier.

"What's it look like? I was having a nice chat with dwarf here."

"Doesn't seem like a chat to me," Ninten replied dryly, fighting back a cough.

"And what's it to you? I told you I was talking to him."

"Talk to me instead," Ninten said.

"Why? It doesn't concern you."

"It does concern me."

"Really now?" He shifted his gaze between me and Ninten, then shot me an amused look. "You two are fucking or what?"

I felt my entire face and neck flush bright red. "N… No!" I stammered, shaking my head violently. "No, we.. It's not…"

"No, we're not." Ninten said flatly, although I could detect an embarrassed twinge in his scowl.

"I don't see why you care. The freak ain't even normal."

"And you look okay? Look at your mustache. It's like a worm took a dump under your nose and crawled over it," Ninten replied, his scowl deepening. "Now leave him alone."

"Make me." He puffed his chest and straightened his shoulders in an attempt to look intimidating.

"Oh, I'll make you." Ninten approached him, mirroring his pose. They were nearly matched in height, but the bully was stockier and seemed to have more weight on him. I noticed the greasy-haired sidekick rise up and approach from the back of class. It didn't take a lot of smarts to know Ninten was in real trouble. I was going to say something before Mr. English walked into class.

"Hello, kids," He chirped. His usual Hollywoodian grin faltered when he saw the tense confrontation between Ninten and the bully.

"Boys?" He said, "I ask you find your seats at once." The bully silently looked Ninten up and down, then scrammed to his seat in the back, shoving Ninten with his shoulder. Ninten ignored the petty move and flopped down on his usual seat next to me. Up close, I saw he was in awful shape. His eyes were half-lidded in exhaustion, dark bags underneath them in stark contrast with his blanched face, and he was breathing with difficulty. I gave him a look of concern.

"A-Are you okay? You look ill." I whispered.

"I'm fine," He snapped, then let out another few coughs. He eyed Mr. English intently. If he noticed me wearing his hoodie, he ignored it.

"Okay now," English started. "Ms. Farrell won't be able to come today due to some private circumstances. However, our school's esteemed counsellor was generous enough to fill in for today."

A few gasps echoed in class, and if Ninten's face was pale before, it now took the color of porcelain.

"Oh no," He groaned. "I don't need this first thing in the morning?"

"Who's the school counselor, Ninten?" I asked. He didn't answer. A second later, a familiar yardstick-brandishing, cranky old woman waddled into the room. I shot her a panicked look then looked at Ninten, who gave a curt nod.

Pauline was our school's 'esteemed counselor'?

 _Crap._

"I trust you kids will behave yourselves, alright?" Mr. English said. Pauline threw him a dirty look.

"Oh, I'm sure I know how to run a class full of brats," She said ominously, still glaring at the hapless Englishman. He nervously forced another smile and skedaddled out of her sight. The pin-drop silence that ensued was thicker than molasses.

"Why do _you_ get to teach us?" A brave, or most likely clueless soul somewhere behind me spoke up. A vein in Pauline's forehead twitched.

"I get to teach you because I'm qualified, and because I can shove this ruler up your behind so deep you'll taste wood for the rest of your life, young man," She barked. She banged her yardstick on the teacher's desk. "Do I make myself clear?"

That earned her a terrified 'eep' from whoever asked the question. She seemed satisfied with the reaction, reaching for the book on the desk.

"Where did your teacher leave off?" She said, then flipped to a marked page. "Page 65, hm?" She then turned to the blackboard, beginning her class. The next 40 minutes would be the longest, most tense minutes of my life. Any wrong move and her ire would spill on anybody's head. Halfway through the class, Pauline threw a piece of chalk towards a certain blond with greasy hair who was dozing at the moment, hitting him right between the eyes. He jerked and let out a startled yelp.

"You don't go to this damn school to sleep. Pay attention!" Pauline yelled, walking over to her victim. "Now, care to tell me what was I talking about?"

Color drained from the kid's face. He looked towards the blackboard, but he couldn't decipher whatever she scribbled. He gave her a panicked look and shook his head miserably. Pauline's demonic glare intensified tenfold.

"I don't tolerate inattentive students," She said, waving her yardstick an inch from his face. "Now you will listen to what I say, then come up to the board to solve a question. God help your soul if you fail to answer it. You hear?" He nodded fervently. I grinned and ground down a snicker that almost escaped me. Ah, schadenfreude never felt so good before. I instantly wiped the smirk off my face once she walked up to the front of the class, pretending to stare at the blackboard.

At the end of the terrifying class, she collected the homework Ms. Farrell assigned on Friday. I guess it was dumb luck nobody forgot their homework this time. As everyone walked out of the classroom, Ninten glared at Pauline's retreating back.

"Too early for a Halloween scare, don't you think?" He murmured.

"Never mind that," I replied. "You look like a corpse. What's wrong?" I placed the back of my hand on his forehead. "And you're burning up. I don't think it was a good idea to show up for school today."

"It's one of _those_ fevers, Lloyd." He gave me a pointed look. "I'm not contagious, it'll pass eventually. Also I wouldn't have wanted to leave you alone with that jackass."

Right. Ninten kinda stuck up for me and nearly got in an uneven fight despite his condition.

"About that. Thanks for standing up for me, Ninten," I said, giving him a shy smile. He placed an arm around my shoulders and pulled me in to ruffle my hair with his other fist.

"Hey, Anytime!" He said, flashing me a tired grin and letting me go. We walked to History class. I noticed Ninten's face was getting paler by the minute. I kept eyeing him every once in a while during class. The teacher was going off a tangent on how many landslides occurred in this town during his lifetime, then went on a tirade over the careless way the town was run. Ninten chose to doze off through the whole speech. I had to help him up to his feet so we could go to our next class.

"Why can't we just.. Sit in one place," Ninten said, a bit shaky on his feet. "And have _teachers_ come and go?"

"It would be boring if we were cooped up in one room all day, I think," I replied.

"Hm. Probably." He was completely leaning his weight on me by the time we stepped into Mr. English's classroom. Few kids gave us curious looks, Ninten flashed a PR smile and gave a thumbs up, forcing himself to put less of his weight on me. He sat himself down and propped his head on his elbow. The teacher looked nonplussed.

"Is he alright?" Mr. English said, eyeing us with concern.

"I'm fine, sir." Ninten straightened up and willed some focus into his glassy eyes. The sight would have been comical if I wasn't worried over him exerting himself to look sharp. He dropped the act eventually and returned to resting his head on his elbowed arm. A few minutes later, I heard a loud _thud_ next to me. I looked at Ninten to find him passed out, his face slammed into the desk. His forehead looked like it's going to bruise badly. A girl in the back let out an alarmed yelp, and Mr. English hurried towards our seat.

"Ninten. Can you hear me?" He tapped the boy's shoulder. Ninten responded with a groan.

"Five more minutes, mom," Ninten sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"He's downright knackered," English noted flatly. "He needs to go to the nurse. Lloyd, can you escort him, please?"

I was focusing on Ninten the whole time, not paying attention to the teacher. I thought I heard my name come up, so I jolted.

"Come again?" I asked weakly, feeling like a total absentminded dork.

"Get him to the nurse," He repeated. I stood up and helped Ninten up on his wobbly feet.

"Shouldn't we call 911?" The panicked girl in the back said.

"He's awake," Mr. English said. "We should let the nurse decide." He put on his best reassuring face, "I'm sure he'll be alright. Lloyd, get on with it, boy!"

I walked out of the classroom with Ninten hanging off my arm like a heavy extra limb.

"I told you it was a bad idea to show up for school today," I said, giving him a chiding glare.

"I'm fiine," He whined incoherently. I nudged his shoulder.

"You look inebriated, Ninten," I replied. "Are PSI fevers always that bad?"

"Huh-uh," was the eloquent reply. The haul to the nurse's was a bit of a drag. I wasn't built for any physical lifting. Ninten was stick-thin, but he still weighed a few pounds more than I did. I nudged the nurse's office door open with my foot, then dragged a semi-conscious Ninten inside. The nurse wasn't inside for some reason. I helped Ninten sit on the cot.

"I'll go look for the nurse," I said, giving Ninten a reassuring pat on the arm.

"Don't wanna stay alone, can we just wait for her?" He mumbled. I thought that he looked stable for now, but his forehead had a big round bruise smack-dab in the middle. I had no knowledge of first aid, so I just dragged a chair and sat in front of the cot.

"How are you feeling?" I said, wiping the sheen of cold sweat on his face with a napkin.

"Peachy," he replied with a chuckle. He was still very warm to the touch. Where can one find a thermometer here? I hated sitting there and not being able to do anything. I began rummaging through the room for a thermometer. A minute later, the nurse walked in. She noticed Ninten sitting on the cot.

"Oh gosh, was it another asthma attack?" She said. I had a feeling that I might have heard her say this before.

"Um, no. He has a fever," I replied, putting down the thermometer I'd just found. She placed the back of her hand on his forehead.

"Ooh, you're burning up," she noted smartly. "Since when did you feel feverish?"

"Since I woke up," He replied. She grabbed the thermometer and wiped its base with a cotton ball doused with alcohol. She placed the sterilized tip under Ninten's tongue. A few minutes later, she took it out and read its measurement.

"103 degrees. That's high," she hummed, grabbing a couple pills and a plastic cup of water. "Take those. I'll call your parents to come pick you up. It's nothing too serious, but fevers usually are caused by a communicable disease." She paused a little to catch her breath, "Also, it's better if you rest up at home. Your parents will decide if you should visit a doctor."

"I don't have a cold," Ninten protested. The nurse shrugged and went for the phone. She pushed a digit and waited for a response. She asked for Ninten's home number, scrawled it on a piece of paper. She muttered a quick thank you and hung up. She noticed me still standing next to Ninten.

"You should go back to your class, dear," she said. I looked back at Ninten.

"Just got a day off. Lucky me, huh?" He smiled weakly, then frowned. "You be careful, okay?"

"I-I will. Take care of yourself, Ninten," I said, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, then went back to class. Curious eyes snapped towards me once I opened the door. I fidgeted under their scrutiny.

"Well?" Mr. English said. I was supposed to say something?

"Um.. H-he's fine. His parents will pick him up."

"Right. Take your seat." I did as I was told and glanced at the board. He didn't seem to have done much since we left. I quickly copied whatever he wrote on the blackboard to read at home. A while later, the bell rang.

"Oops. Guess that's my time for today," Mr. English said. "Have a nice day, kids." With that, he stepped out. Students soon followed out. I inwardly cringed, remembering that I had P.E next. I didn't like physical activity and I abhorred having to change into gym clothes. I always felt embarrassed at how scrawny and small I looked in comparison with the other kids. I had the dubious honor of being the shortest kid in the whole eighth grade, counting girls. Ninten usually distracted me with silly jokes and talking my ear off about random things, but he wasn't around this time. I spotted Lucas and Claus arguing in the hallway near the boys' locker room.

"No, we're not doing this, Claus," Lucas said, nervously eyeing his surroundings.

"Relax. O'Donnell never gave a damn who attended. Come on, you know both of us want nothing more than taking a break." Claus said, leaning lazily against the wall. He noticed me approaching. "Oi. Lloyd. C'mere and knock some sense into my stupid brother's head."

"You're asking _Lloyd_ out of all people?" Lucas looked dumbfounded.

"Ask me what?" I asked, eyeing the twins. Claus looked like he was trying to rope Lucas into something.

"He wants to- mmph!" Lucas started, but his twin cut him off with a hand on his mouth.

"I was telling Lucas here to ditch O'Donnell's class," Claus said nonchalantly, ignoring his brother glaring daggers towards him.

 _You were what now?_

"T-that's a bad idea," I said, looking up at Claus. "You really shouldn't skip classes, Claus."

"Use your head, Lloyd," The ginger said, giving me a sinister grin. "Would you rather be running laps around the field with our P.E. teacher barking at you, or laze somewhere and do nothing?" An appeal to laziness. Claus was more shrewd than I gave him credit for.

"I'd… I'd like to, bu-"

"SEE? He doesn't mind." Claus did a fist pump and placed his lanky arm around my shoulders. "Come on, Lucas. I slept for two hours last night. I _need_ a little peace and quiet." He was now trying puppy eyes on his brother. Lucas seemed to cave in to his brother's pleading eyes.

"Okay, but where do we go? We don't want the principal or god-forbid, Pauline to catch us skipping class," Lucas said, slumping his shoulders in a defeated gesture.

"The library is cozy, quiet and hardly anybody goes in there," Claus replied immediately.

"Um, I was going to meet up with Ness there during recess to work on our project anyway." Lucas said shyly.

"Then what are you guys waiting for? Move it already." Claus grabbed his twin's hand and marched away from the locker room with me in tow. How I got myself into this, I had no idea. I thought we looked ridiculous; My head barely reached Claus' elbow, and his lanky legs were taking a step for every three I took. I tried my best not to trip up. If there was one advantage for tall people, they can take pretty long strides. Claus came to a halt in front of the library and pushed the door open. We followed inside.

"Ah, nothing like catching a few zees in school," Claus announced, flopping on the first chair he found. He propped a foot on a table and shut his eyes. Lucas picked up a sketchbook from his backpack and began drawing on it.

"I can't believe I agreed on skipping class," Lucas said, pouting at his snoozing twin, then gave me an apologetic look, "Sorry he got you in this too."

"It's fine. It was hardly my favorite class," I said, feeling guilty I skipped class, but I admit it was great not to worry about changing into gym clothes and running laps while Mr. O'Donnell yelled like a drill sergeant. Claus, you're such a bad influence.

"Ness and I were supposed to meet up here for our project anyway. Better prepare stuff since I'm here."

"Can I help with anything?"

"Not really. It's an art project."

"Oh. I see."

I ended up bringing him some stuff like pencil sharpeners and scissors from around the library. I browsed the small collection of books and found nothing interesting in there. I sat in front of a table opposite of the twins and fished out a comic book from my backpack. Since I was doing nothing, I could totally read the latest Superman comic. Time passed quickly, and by the time I'd finished half of the small book, I heard the bell ring. I fished around my bag for the journal I wrote whatever caught my interest in the books I've been reading. Five minutes afterwards, Lucas looked up.

"Ness should've been here a while ago," He said.

"He usually hangs around the cafeteria at this time."

"Um.. But he told me he'd meet me up right after his class."

"Doubt Ness could resist food," I smiled, remembering last Friday. "I'll go look for him."

"Thanks, Lloyd."

I walked out of the library towards the cafeteria, still reading the journal. The readable portion of George's book was pretty extensive, but it glazed over the side symptoms of developing PSI. The book dad gave me had a vague account of a psychic girl whose mother was 'exposed to a radioactive meteor while pregnant with her' and died after a horrible episode of dysentery. PSI capabilities can occasionally weaken the immune system. Ninten's fever wasn't caused by some sickness. It happened before he learned a new 'move' or something. I didn't remember reading anything about dealing with such fevers. I wasn't paying attention in front of me, so I accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh, sor-" The word died in my throat once I saw a familiar mop of unwashed blond hair. My eyes widened in panic.

"Watch where you're going, nerd," He said. His shorter friend came into view from behind me.

"Hey, heard about Ninten," He began, plastering a mock-pitying expression on his face. "They say he fainted in the middle of class, no?"

"S-so?" I said, tightly clasping the journal in my hand.

"Hm, nothing," he said, flashing me a toothy grin. "Just wanted to say that I feel _sorry_ about your boyfriend passing out. Sure you didn't give him CPR or anything?" He guffawed, his sidekick made stupid kissy faces at me. I flushed a deep scarlet.

"Wh-no, I.." I stammered, shaking my head and hands, "We're not like-"

He used my flustered distraction to snatch the journal from my grip. He squinted at the small book in contempt.

"What's this, Dear Diary?" He scoffed, "Damn, you're really a gay dweeb."

"Ack, give that back!" I flailed, trying to grab my journal. He lifted his hand just out of my reach. The blond sidekick pushed me backwards, making me land painfully on my rear.

"What, you want it back?" He sneered, then tore the small journal in half. The loose pages landed unceremoniously on the floor. "Take it, then."

I gathered myself up and gawked at the torn journal. I eyed the satisfied smirk on his face, then looked back at the book. I felt a dam in my head break open. Letting out a loud howl, I kicked the brown-haired bully as hard as I could in the groin. He doubled over in pain. His sidekick flinched back, eyes wide in shock. I punched the doubled-over bully in the face. He ended up a curled broken heap on the floor, clutching his abused jaw and crotch. I stepped back, appalled at what I have done. My scream gathered around a small crowd. I felt their surprised eyes drill holes in me, their quiet murmurs were deafening. I felt tears trickle down my face. Sobbing, I hid my face in my elbow and ran away aimlessly. I just wanted to hide from everything.

* * *

Unbeknownst to me, a capped boy saw the whole thing happen. He stepped closer to the bully.

"That oughta hurt," he quipped, looking down at him, "You should've seen it coming."

"Fuck you," the bully groaned.

"Charming."

"I'll get him for this. Ow. Bastard.. Kicks like a mule. Oooh."

The black-haired boy glanced at the blond sidekick, who was doing a good job mimicking a statue, and shrugged. He picked up the rent journal, quickly skimming the hasty handwriting. Purple eyes widened in shock.

 _Lloyd reads about PSI?_

Gathering the papers into one messy pile, Ness stood up and strode to the path where the bespectacled boy just took off to. He'd probably found someone to confide to. He needed to calm him down first.

Lucas can probably wait this one out.

* * *

 **A/N: [Unrelated rant: I was in the mall the other day and spotted a guy wearing a striped t-shirt, a cap turned sideways and a pair of shorts. I gotta say, this getup looks really "douchey" on somebody in their twenties. Just wanted to put that out.]**

 **Reviews:**

 **While reading reviews for last chapter, it was probably 3 AM and I was sleepy, so I completely misread Phoesong's note about the commas before end quotations. Sorry, Phoesong, but blame it on my sleep deprivation-induced dyslexia! xD**

 **Connor the speling pro: Haha yeah, "negligent a-holes" were pretty pronounced in the first interlude. And yeah, I'm still trying to figure out why marshmallows, though.**

 **Writer's Block is horrible. I wrote a total of ten words on some days after hours of staring at the screen. I could imagine a scene, but somehow I couldn't write it down even if my life depended on it. As for book/diary entries, it's true it feels like force-feeding information to readers. It was originally twice as long, but then I thought: _Who the hell will read all of this?_ Even after toning it down, I retold the rough gist of it afterwards for those who chose to skim/skip the lengthy passage.**

 **Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. - Honestly I'd snoop around if I was curious enough. It's like a bad itch somewhere you can't reach. XD**

 **2-D kinematics were pretty confusing sometimes. I had no idea why we were expected to calculate the max height of a projectile/ball up on a ramp/whatever thing that moved in 2D space, but physics can be fun. Sometimes. Good luck on your exams and college applications. :)**

 **adricarra: Weekends are made to wake up late. That's why they feel so short. XD**

 **It's never too bad to be curious. Stay curious and Snoop responsibly!**

 **Lloyd's dad gave him a good "authority" on the subject. It's understandable you thought it was George's book. :P And yeah, dad-son moments are pretty touching. I don't like seeing Lloyd sad either. :/**

 **I'll try to avoid writing stagnant chapters. Probably means I won't write unless an idea hits me, but I'm really happy you enjoyed reading the last chapter anyway. Thanks. ^_^**


	11. Chapter 11 - Flash and Rockin'

**Chapter 11 - Flash and Rockin'**

I ran until I felt my chest burn up with exertion. I found myself in the fire exit climbing towards the roof. I opened the heavy metal door, its disused, rusty hinges screeching loudly. Stepping outside, my eyes were seared by the sudden brightness despite it being overcast. Squinting and shielding my overly-sensitive eyes from the light with a cupped hand, I found a shaded spot away from the door. I sat there and hid my head under my arms. I shook uncontrollably, still overwhelmed from what just happened. I _hurt_ someone, even though it was a bully who made fun of me and hurt me. The guilt sat like curdled milk in my stomach, and my left hand ached badly. Why didn't anyone tell me punching people was also painful? I had an urge to hide in a trash can and stay there until the world stopped moving. I'm trash and I should remain where I belong.

"I.. I won't hide in a trash can again," I whispered. I tugged at my hair and kept mewling it to myself like a mantra, rocking in my place back and forth. I did not notice the noisy door opening, and the capped kid who stepped out to the roof. He walked over to my hiding spot and saw me, slowly approaching me as one would approach a spooked animal.

"Lloyd?" The Eaglelander raised an eyebrow.

"I won't hide in a trash can again."

"Hey, dude." He tapped my arm.

"I won't hide in a trash can again."

"Earth to Lloyd. Come in, Lloyd."

"I won't hide in a trash can again."

"Hey! Listen to me, dammit," He yelled and smacked me on the head. I flinched, now sensing his presence.

"Ouch!" I looked up at him and glared, wiping my eyes, "What's the big idea?"

"I was looking all over for you," Ness said, sitting down next to me, "Some kid said he saw someone run up to the roof. I thought you were gonna do something crazy."

I blinked, "Oh."

"Gotta hand it to you, though. That guy probably won't have kids."

"Y..You saw that?" I said, hugging my knees close.

"Half the school did."

"Oh. I'm so in for it."

"Don't worry. I doubt you'll be held at fault," Ness said, patting my shoulder. He held up the torn journal with the other hand.

 _You dropped this._

I was sure his lips didn't move, but I thought I heard him clearly.

"Um, gesundheit?"

 _I said, you dropped this._ He let out an exasperated sigh, placing the wad of papers in my lap.

"You're.. You're a ventriloquist?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking visibly irritated.

 _A ventriloquist? You compare a simple parlor trick to telepathy? Don't play dumb, Lloyd. Your journal is overflowing with stuff about PSI._

"You're a psychic too?" I said a little loudly. He jumped and placed his palm on my mouth to shut me up.

"Shh.. Not so loud," he hissed. He realized what I had just said and shot me a curious look, " _Too_? You know someone else with psychic powers?"

I let that slip? Curse my big fat mouth. I fidgeted with the journal in my hands, unsure of what to say. Ness fixed me an unblinking stare.

"N-nobody," I muttered. He didn't seem convinced.

"All right. Who's nobody?"

"No one. I-I don't know anyone who can use PSI. B-besides you, I mean," I said, shrinking in my place.

"Lloyd," Ness crooned, "Everybody knows you can't lie to save your life, and I don't feel like picking your brain apart for the answer. Spill it, already. Is it you?"

"No."

"Uh-huh. Then who is it?"

"It's Ninten," I whispered. Ness did a double-take, his eyebrows rose halfway into his forehead.

"Get outta here," he breathed, "For real?"

"Mhm."

"Well, damn."

We sat in silence for a minute.

"It makes sense," Ness said with a thoughtful look on his face, "Heard he had a fever and passed out in class. Was it a PSI fever?"

"Yeah."

"Sucks for him. Ninten has a weak constitution to begin with," Ness shrugged, "A fever would knock him out easily like that."

If Ninten has a weak constitution, then I had none at all.

"I was supposed to meet up with Lucas," Ness said, hopping up to his feet.

"He's in the library already. I was out looking for you," I replied, standing up and dusting myself off.

"Was he mad at me for being late? I mean, I'd totally understand if he was."

"Not really." For some reason, I couldn't imagine an angry Lucas. His hair in my mental image turned orange whenever I imagined a cross expression on his face.

"Aw, he's a really sweet kid. Too bad his twin is the spawn of evil."

"Claus? He's.. Okay, I think."

"He's 'okay' until he clicks into Angry Overprotective Brother mode and starts murdering anything that looks at his brother funny," Ness shrugged, stepping towards the rusty door. I remembered Claus choking Ninten on the first day of school.

"Yeah. He means well, though."

"Um, also just so you know," he stopped, shuffling his feet awkwardly, "I don't mind at all."

"Don't mind what?"

"If you and Ninten are, uh, dating."

My face took on a lovely shade of lobster.

"Wuh- No. I'm not.. We're not like that!" I protested.

"Oh. Dunno, but I heard that guy say-"

" _That guy_ is a liar," I interrupted, giving him an indignant glare.

"I see. I'm going to the library," he said, dropping the subject, "Wanna tag along?"

"Sure." I followed Ness to the library. We found the twins still in the library. Claus was still asleep, and Lucas threw Ness an annoyed look.

"Ness! About time you showed up," Lucas scolded. Ness rubbed the back of his head and muttered an apology.

"We still have fifteen minutes to class. Come on, let's not waste more time." The two huddled and worked on their project. I went back to the chair I'd been a while ago, stuffing back the torn up journal in my bag. My mom bought me that diary and I always took care of my things. At least I could see the handful of pages I wrote in were intact. I'd probably copy them into a new journal. I looked up at the three boys in front of me. Claus was still out cold, his mouth hanging open slightly, while Lucas and Ness were working on their little project and exchanging playful banter. I silently observed the two working. I never liked art that much, blaming it on not having the patience or artistic creativity. I did appreciate the hard work that usually went into making good art. My mind wandered like that for a bit, still observing the two. A ringing bell signalled the end of recess, jolting me out of my reverie. Claus opened his eyes and let out a huge yawn, stretching his arms.

"What a nap," he said, rubbing an eye. He spotted Ness and lazily nodded in greeting, "What time is it?"

"It's time you get to class," Lucas replied, "We'll just finish up in five minutes."

"Eh. Okay, don't take too much time," Claus said, stood up and left. I stood up as well.

"Um, I think I should go to class too," I said.

"Alright," Ness said, "See you in social studies."

I grabbed my bag and followed Claus out of the library. I spotted the redhead rounding a corner on the far side of the hallway. He got there already? I walked to my fifth period of today, Math. The two bullies passed me on the way there. I immediately glued my back to the wall, hoping they wouldn't spot me. The taller blond saw me and pointed at me to the shorter bully. He just stared at me and flashed me a sickly-sweet smile, then they sauntered away to the other direction. I did not like his 'I-know-more-than-you-do' smile one bit. I'd expected him to attack me on sight, but he just avoided me, which was quite jarring— I did not know what to make of that. I couldn't help but notice the right half of his jaw sported a bruise. I shivered at the fact that _I_ did that. I walked into the Math class and sat in my usual seat. Some students walking in gave me weird looks, one girl looked me up and down before walking over to her seat. I felt stares boring holes in the back of my neck throughout the class. Were they staring at me for whatever happened during recess? It was pretty unnerving, and I shrank as I felt their eyes following me after the class had ended.

While walking to the next class, someone kicked me hard from behind, making me lose my balance and land on all fours on the floor. I righted my glasses, looking back at whoever kicked me and saw a furious boy. I could swear I've never seen him before, but he gritted his teeth with barely contained rage. He was red in the face and veins protruded from his neck. He glared at me for a moment before storming off. I rose up to my feet, too surprised and bewildered to feel any pain from the kick. I had no idea who was that boy and why did he decide to kick me like that out of the blue. I spent the next class trying to remember when during my lifetime had I offended someone enough to warrant being kicked like a soccer ball. After French, I darted towards my last class, keeping my side plastered to a wall, wary of any attempts of assault from any direction. Someone tapped my shoulder, making me jump in my place.

"Hey, towhead," I heard someone call. I jerkily turned around to see a kid with chestnut-brown hair wearing a green and yellow striped shirt standing there, holding up a familiar-looking pencil case.

"Your bag was open," he said, "You dropped this."

"Oh. Th-thank you," I said, taking back my pencil case. The boy gave a quick lopsided smile and walked away. I hastily stuffed the thing back in my bag and zipped it shut. Stupid me, walking with an open bag. I spotted Ness walking into the classroom, and I promptly followed. I busied myself with staring at space in front of me, trying my best to ignore the pair of bullies entering the classroom. I didn't notice that Ness was talking to me. He waved a hand in front of my nose. I blinked and faced him.

"Sorry, what?" I asked. He gave me an unimpressed look.

"I was saying, do you wanna go check up on Ninten after school?" He said.

"Alright, I have to tell my mom first."

"Good, meet you at your place after school and head to Ninten's from there?"

"Okay."

The airy teacher waltzed in and greeted us. She proceeded to start her lesson at a rapid-fire pace. A solid forty minutes of her not shutting up. I tried to count the times she stopped for a breath, but the bell rang before the count reached one. She said something about time passing quickly then left, the floored kids' stares following her. Ness stood up hauled his backpack on one shoulder.

"Man, she never shuts up," he said wearily. He side-glanced to the bullies sitting in the back staring at us. Rolling his eyes, he placed a protective arm around my shoulder and marched out of their sight.

"Conniving pricks," Ness muttered under his breath, looking behind him.

"Huh?" I gave him a questioning look.

"Those two idiots who bother you. The two of them looked like fat cats that just finished off a bunch of canaries."

"Oh."

"They're up to no good, I'm telling you," Ness said, "You're taking the bus?"

"Yeah," I replied. I wasn't too thrilled with sitting in the reeking bus, but I was a little scared of walking home by myself, especially since Ninten wasn't there and some random kid just kicked me out of the blue. Who knows what would happen if I was cornered alone in the street.

"Well, you're awfully talkative today," Ness said, adjusting his backpack, "I'll walk you there. I have to wait for mom to pick me up, so I got nothing better to do."

Ness walked me to the parked buses and waved at Lucas who was climbing into the bus with his twin. I followed suit along with the other students. A few minutes later, the bus pulled out from the park and into the congested streets. The twins were in the seats in front of me as usual. Claus turned to face me.

"Good going back in recess, dude," Claus said, "Color me impressed." I fidgeted with my hands embarrassedly, unsure of what to say. Lucas shot him a confused look.

"What happened in recess?" Lucas asked.

"Ugh. Were you _sleeping_ all day, Lucas?" Claus replied, rolling his eyes, "Lloyd gave a wicked beating to some bully."

"Really?" Lucas said, raising his eyebrows, "When did that happen?"

"W-when I was looking for Ness," I replied.

"That's why you guys were late? Why didn't you or Ness say anything?"

"Don't know why Ness didn't tell you."

"Hm. Maybe because we were a little in a hurry," Lucas said, scratching his cheek, "Thank goodness we finished up just in time."

"By the way," Claus said, "There was that dude I know. He was angry about something he's convinced you said about him. He called you some really nasty names. You know a kid whose name's Jeremy? Curly blond hair, green eyes. Rings a bell?"

 _Yes, it does ring a bell, and a dull ache down where he kicked me._

"Never met him before," I mumbled, looking down in shame, "But he kicked me when I was going to class today."

"He did? Oh, I'm gonna punch some sense into his ugly face," Claus said, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

"Don't do anything stupid, Claus," Lucas said, trying to calm down his brother.

"Wait, did you actually say anything about Jeremy?" Claus asked, giving me a scrutinizing look.

"N-no. I told you I don't even know who he is!" I never made a habit of talking about people anyway.

"I'll take your word for it," Claus said, flashing me a knowing smirk and turned to face forward.

"Um. Thank you?"

"Good chance it's that punk who spreads rumors about you like a teenage girl. Moron."

The bus finally reached our stop. I hopped out of the bus, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. The twins followed out.

"Ness said he wanted to go visit Ninten after school," Lucas said, "Are you going with him?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Oh. Please give Ninten our best."

"Tell him we said hi," Claus added.

"I will," I said. The two said goodbye and left to their house. I walked in the opposite direction towards mine. I crossed the front porch and opened the door. I spotted my mom in the kitchen.

"I'm back, mom," I announced. My mother lifted her eyes from whatever she was doing there.

"Hello, sweetie," she said, "How was your day?"

"Fine," I replied, "But Ninten got sick and had to go home early. Ness and I want to visit him today."

"Alright, but be home before dark," Mom said, "Do you need me to drive you there?"

"Ness is coming here soon. His mom will drive us there," I said, setting down my backpack and taking off my, er, Ninten's hoodie.

"It's still chilly outside, dear. Keep that on," mom said, then eyed the garment curiously, "I don't remember seeing you wear this before."

"O-oh, uhm," I paused. Mom usually bought every item in my closet, so it was only natural she'd notice an out-of-place hoodie. I had to think of an excuse quickly.

"I-I got it a while back, and wore it only today," I said. Mom was going to prod further before the doorbell rang. Thank my lucky stars! Ness, you are a blessing today.

"Ahh the doorbell, I'll get that," I said, rushing to the door. I saw Ness through the peephole. He must have noticed I was behind the door because he started making silly faces at the lens. I quickly stepped outside and shut the door behind me.

"Hey," Ness said, "Just called Ninten's house to tell them we're coming. Ninten's fine, but still a little tired, so we shouldn't stay over too long."

"Oh. Okay."

"Come on, then." He grabbed my wrist and dashed towards the car standing in front of the house. Ness' mom was waiting inside.

"Hello, dear. You're Lloyd, right?" Ness' mom greeted.

"Y-yeah," I said gracelessly, adjusting in my seat in the back. Ness' mom shifted the gears and sped down the road. It was funny how she could pass as Ninten's mom's older sister. She did her blonde hair in a bouffant and wore a red dress, making her look like someone from the 1950s despite not looking old. Resemblances between Ninten and Ness were a bit too eerie, but coincidences happen. Ness filled the time during the ride with talking about everything and nothing in particular. Eventually, the car pulled over in front of Ninten's house. Ness' mom told us to behave and not bother our friend, earning her an eye roll and a nod from her son. We hopped out of the car and walked across the front porch. Ness rang the bell, and a strawberry-blonde little girl poked her head out. I believe this was the younger twin, Minnie. Ness greeted her and she opened the door to let us in, silently gawking at Ness' appearance. Ninten's mom was sitting in the living room. She gave us a warm smile.

"Hello, boys," she said, "Ninten's upstairs in his room. Make yourselves at home." Ness thanked her and climbed upstairs with me in tow. He stood at the door and paused.

"Why won't you get in?"

"Shh," Ness placed his finger on his lips and grinned. The same finger started glowing a pastel green.

"Wh.. Don't do anything crazy, Ness," I whispered, intimidated by the tiny sparks floating around his fingertips.

"I'm gonna get him for pranking me the other day. My nose still hurts, y'know."

"Um, so you're going to zap him with psionics?"

"Nah, this is totally harmless." He reached for the doorknob.

"Ness, no."

Ness flung open the door and yelled, "PK FLASH!" A small greenish orb hurtled towards the center of the room and burst into a dazzling flash of light with a 'zap' sound. I had to shut my eyes and hide my face so I wouldn't get blinded. I reopened my eyes again to see that the room was empty. Ness froze like a statue at the doorstep, his finger still pointing forward where he just shot his psionic flashbang.

"What the-" Ness' mischievous grin fell, staring dumbly at the vacant room. I heard a distant flushing sound, and moments later, Ninten emerged from the bathroom, looking just as pale and tired as he was this morning. He spotted us standing in front of his room.

"Guys?" He asked, "When did you come here?"

Ness looked like he'd swallowed something sour. I hid a smirk on my face, trying my best not to crack up and failing badly.

"Lloyd? What's so funny?" Ninten said, now confused. I couldn't keep up the act, so I burst out laughing. Ness gave me an offended look, and Ninten gaped at me, obviously questioning my sanity.

"What, is there something on my face?" Ninten said, inspecting his face with a hand. I shook my head as 'no', trying to stop laughing long enough to say something coherent.

"I'm sorry. I'm, I'm really. Ness," I huffed, wiping a tear from my eye, "I f- I feel really bad for you. Pff-ahahahaha."

"Seriously, what's up?" Ninten said, a confused smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Long story. I'll tell you once he quits it. Any day now, Lloyd," Ness said flatly, unamused with me laughing at his expense.

"Okay," I said, gasping for a breath. Ninten shrugged and passed us towards his room, motioning for us to follow.

"How was your day, Lloyd?" Ninten asked, sitting cross-legged on his bed. Ness sat on the desk chair.

"It was okay," I said sheepishly.

"Just _'okay'_? Dude you castrated a bully today," Ness said incredulously. I smacked his arm.

"He what?" Ninten said, his eyes widened in shock.

"Uh, h-he ripped up my notebook. I'm sure I didn't do, um, permanent damage or something," I said, shifting my feet.

"Wow. I'm lost here," Ninten said, "Care to fill me in?" I proceeded to tell Ninten about how I was roped into skipping P.E. class with Claus and Lucas, looking for Ness, then running into the bullies who tore up my notebook.

"Yeah, then Lloyd went berserk on his ass," Ness chimed in.

"I _didn't_ ," I objected.

"He was rolling on the floor when you were done with him, man."

"You're not making me feel any better about this, Ness," I mumbled.

"He said you kicked like a mule."

"Well.. I ran out to the roof afterwards," I said, choosing to ignore Ness, "I hid there for a while, but Ness found me, and-"

"But enough about us," Ness suddenly interrupted, "Nice to see you up on your feet. How are you feeling now?"

"Like I'm fresh out of a meat grinder," Ninten replied, "My eyes feel too big for their sockets, and thinking hurts."

"Good to hear," Ness said playfully, eliciting a glare from the sickly boy. He reached into his backpack, "By the way, Lucas says hi. He made you this." He fished out a white card. It had a really true-to-life doodle of Ninten, flashing a smile and raising a victory sign, with a speech bubble saying 'Get better soon'. Ninten's eyes widened at the drawing.

"Whoa. Never knew Lucas was such a good artist."

"He used my face as a reference since we look alike. It was my idea, actually." Ness said.

"Wow. Thanks, dude. Tell him I really like it."

"Don't mention it," Ness beamed. The conversation lulled for a minute, then Ninten seemed to have remembered something.

"I just remembered, aren't you gonna tell me why Lloyd was laughing like a madman a moment ago?"

I snickered, remembering the failed prank.

"Yeah, that," Ness drawled, giving me an unimpressed stare, "You're having a field day with this, aren't you, Lloyd?"

"I'm sorry, your face was just," I ground down a fit of giggles, "You really should've seen your face when you realized Ninten wasn't in his room."

"Why? What was he doing in my room?" Ninten said, throwing a questioning look at Ness. The purple-eyed kid straightened his back.

"It would've been a prank to remember," Ness said, shaking his head in mock-disappointment, then his expression turned serious, "I read Lloyd's little notebook."

Ninten had a pretty good idea what was written in my journal. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah, so when I found him, he told me about some PSI user he knew." Ness grimly eyed the other kid, his eyebrows were furrowed. Why was he looking at him that way? Ninten shot me a displeased look.

"And he just told you like that?"

"Not really." Ness replied tersely. Wait, was that Ninten's pillow sneaking up behind him? It slowly levitated in the air. A moment later, I realized what was going on.

"Ninten, behind you!" I yelled, pointing at the pillow.

"Huh?" Ninten glanced behind him. The pillow did a 90-degree turn and smacked Ninten square in the face. He lost his balance and let out an undignified yelp, ending up spreadeagled on his bed, a foot sticking up in the air. Ness jumped out of his seat and pointed both of his index fingers at Ninten's form.

"GOTCHA," he yelled. Ninten lowered his foot and sat up.

"Wuh, what happened?" He said, totally dumbfounded.

"For a psychic wunderkind, you sure suck at dodging PSI attacks," Ness replied, throwing a gloating smirk at Ninten.

"That was my pillow, not a-" Ninten protested, then froze, "PSI attack? You're a.."

"I'm a…?" Ness parroted, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"You're a jerk," Ninten said, throwing the pillow at Ness.

"Heh. Jealous," Ness quipped, catching the pillow.

"You wish. I got a PSI fever right now, so I can't sense PSI nor try it. Otherwise, I would've seen your cheap prank coming from a mile away."

"Cheap prank, the master of totally not cheap pranks said," Ness noted flatly, then handed Ninten back his pillow.

"Attacking a sick kid, Ness," Ninten placed the back of his hand on his forehead melodramatically and shook his head, "How cruel can you be!"

"Um, I think we've been here too long," I said, "Ninten needs to rest up."

"Yeah," Ness said, picking up his bag, "You coming to school tomorrow?"

"Guess I will. If I get better," Ninten replied.

"You better," Ness said, "Really, it's no fun without you around."

"Aw, it's nice to know you missed me," Ninten said, batting his eyelashes.

"Don't let it go to your head, eh? See you later, man."

* * *

The weather outside was awful. Ness didn't seem disturbed by the wind that could lift someone light enough in the air. I snuck a look at the Eaglelander. He seemed to be more open or careless about his powers than Ninten. I wouldn't be surprised if many more people knew about it. It wouldn't hurt to ask, right?

"Hey, Ness," I said, trying to make myself audible over the howling wind.

"Yeah?"

"How many people know about your powers?"

"Besides you and Ninten? Not too many."

"Really? Because only the two of us know Ninten's a psychic."

"Yeah, he's probably more careful about it. Do you remember Jeff? My old friend I told you about."

"Jeff? As in Jeff Andonuts?" Ness did compare me to him more than once.

"Yeah," he nodded, "He knows too."

"You told him?"

"Actually, he caught me levitating a baseball in midair. I didn't know him back then, so I panicked and did the first thing that came to mind."

I gave him a questioning look.

"I batted the ball to his face. Gave him a nasty black eye in the process."

"You what?" I asked, horrified.

"I wasn't thinking! The funny thing is, he ignored his injury and started asking me a million questions. 'What was that', 'how did you do it' and such. The guy ignored pain when his curiosity kicked in high gear."

"Oh," I paused for a minute. That was a pretty weird way to meet somebody new. "So, what can you do? Apart from throwing flash grenades and lifting pillows. Can you teleport?"

"Heh, you're sounding like Jeff now," he said. I huffed at him, not appreciating being compared to that guy, "No, I can't teleport. I don't think anybody can."

"Ninten can teleport," I said.

"What?" Ness exclaimed, "No way! He has to teach me how."

"How could he teach you?"

"Dunno," Ness gave a nonchalant shrug, "Wouldn't hurt to try, but I don't think Ninten can do _this_." Ness did a move with his hands. Multicolored lines, diamonds and other glowing shapes materialized in front of him. I heard a loud musical noise somewhere.

"N-Ness," I hissed, glancing around the empty road for any onlookers, "Not in the middle of the street!"

"Oops." The shapes disappeared, and the noise subsided. We were lucky the weather guaranteed not a sane person walked in the street and the wind probably tuned out the noise.

"You worry too much," Ness chuckled, "I trained a lot. I can control it pretty well."

"Trained?" I asked.

"Yeah. Sometimes I sneak out of my room at dawn and find me an empty place where no one can see me to practice. Back in Onett, I used to go to that place called Giant Step. Nobody came there, so I kinda claimed it as a sanctuary. Here, I go up the cliffs north of town."

That explained why he didn't stay over at Ninten's the other day.

"Isn't that dangerous? I mean, with the landslide and all," I said. Ness had a guilty expression on his face.

"Uh, listen," he said in an uncharacteristically shy tone, "I gotta tell you a secret, but promise me not to tell a soul."

"I won't," I replied, my curiosity was piqued.

"Good, because I'd probably get arrested if word got out," he said. My eyes widened.

"What? W-what did you do?" I said, stopping in my tracks. Ness looked tense.

"Erm, did you see the move I did a moment ago? It _may_ have caused a little landslide that _could_ have blocked the railway last night," he mumbled, rubbing his arm nervously.

"How?"

"I lost control for a moment," Ness said, a guilty blush creeping up his face, "Then a really big PSI wave went out and shattered a huge boulder that supported other big rocks, and it all fell off the side of the cliff."

"You lost control and caused a landslide?" I asked incredulously. Ness' guilt doubled.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone," he pleaded.

"Told you I won't tell a soul, Ness," I said, giving him a flat look. Even if I wanted to, what would I say? _'My friend used some rainbow shapes and rock music to cause a cave-in with his mind.'_ That would earn me a long stay in a mental asylum.

"Thanks. Knew I could trust you, Lloyd. You're a real pal." Ness visibly relaxed.

"No problem," I said, and continued my walk. By the time we reached my house, the weather had worsened and became pretty blustery.

"You should come in and wait for someone to pick you up," I said. Ness shook his head.

"Nah. I'll manage."

"Are you sure? At least just wait for the weather to get better."

"It'll probably end up being worse. I'll be fine, Lloyd. My house's only like, three blocks away."

"Okay, as you wish. Please be careful."

"Sure. Later, dude."

"Bye."

I watched Ness walk down the street. Somehow I felt like I was being watched, but the street was deserted. It was a bit silly, like I was pretending to have psychic powers like Ninten and Ness. I nervously tugged at my hoodie's sleeve. I should probably clean it up and return it to Ninten as soon as possible.

"Get your act together, Lloyd," I muttered to myself, shaking my head. I crossed the porch, got inside and shut the door behind me.

* * *

 **Guess who decided to come back from the dead? :D I was meaning to finish up this chapter somehow, but I kinda got distracted by college projects and stuff.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Connor the speling pro : Two essays? That's the kind of teachers that want to see the world burn. **

**Yeah, I get slow starts sometimes, but the main problem is that I can imagine up the story, but when I want to put it in words, I just end up staring at the blinking cursor. Sometimes I go back and reread the whole chapter for no reason. On the other hand, one time I wrote two chapters in one go, sans the editing. There's a balance I need to find. XD**

 **Math? After 7 courses of math in college (Precalc, Calculus I, II and III, Linear Algebra, Probabilities, Differential Equations [this one's the toughest]), I think I've had enough math to last me a lifetime or two. :P And yeah, physics is pretty much formulas.**

 **As for Ninten, he's okay. He'll live. XD Pauline is awful, yeah. I think I said this before, but sadly she's modelled after a real-life teacher of mine with the same name back in elementary. She was a nun (having attended a Catholic school), but had a markedly foul language. It was equally hilarious and terrifying to see her swear her head off at us.**

 **Lloyd wouldn't have skipped class under normal circumstances, but Claus can be a bad influence. Also because Lloyd has the assertiveness of a doormat. The bullies are still obnoxious, but nonetheless might change tactics after the surprise they got.**

 **Guest : Yes, it's the cat! XD And yeah, he done kicked their asses. :P**

 **StickOfTruth: Hey. Your username reminds me of that one awesome game. Guess I'll have to play it again later. :P**

 **Thank you! ^_^ I hope your questions would be answered in this chapter and the one that follows. As for Lloyd/Ninten, they are still kids, so I wouldn't know if they'd think about stuff like that, but I figure it could be a good running joke to assume Ninten and Lloyd are together. It does fit in a way, but honestly I think Lloyd is too much of an introvert/shy guy to start having feelings for anyone now.**

 **adricarra : Thank you. :D Glad you found that bit funny. I kinda thought some people would react negatively as in 'Nuuu filthy thoughts, filthy thoughts'. I'm happy to be proved wrong.**

 **You had a nasty control freak of a teacher for three years? I feel so bad for you. XD I hope they won't have to suffer her either. Ms. Farrell should come back ASAP.**

 **Ninten's PSI fever can get bad because of his weakish build, but he'll pull through.**

 **Haha, yeah Claus can always be a bad influence. Doesn't help that he can get his way with his brother. Lloyd was just a bargaining card in his ploy to skip PE. Poor kid. :P**

 **Lloyd wouldn't harm a fly under normal circumstances, but it's natural that he finally snapped and hit that guy. And people fearing him? Hardly. Who would fear a kid who's a couple inches short of 5 feet? XD**

 **Huh? I don't remember saying Lucas was a PSI user too. Maybe I implied it by mistake? Don't rule the possibility out, though.**


	12. Chapter 12 - Lucas' Tune and Old Friends

**Chapter 12 - October 4, 199X - Lucas' Tune and New/Old Friends**

I couldn't sleep at all that night.

I went to bed at around 11 pm, and spent the better part of the night tossing and turning. My mind was restless; random past events flashing in front of my shut eyes and echoing in my ears. The jumbled memories clashing against each other, creating a cacophony of sounds in my head.

 _'_ _Hey towhead. You dropped this.'_

 _'_ _You have really pretty eyes.'_

 _'_ _Ninten! Don't take the Lord's name in vain.'_

 _'You two are fucking or what?'_

 _'_ _I don't tolerate inattentive students.'_

 _'Aww, poor weakling's crying already?'_

 _'Hey, Lloyd.'_

 _'_ _Lloyd, Everybody knows you can't lie to save your life.'_

 _'_ _I lost control for a moment.'_

 _'_ _Lloyd...'_

"Wugh," I groaned, burying my face into the pillow and biting at its edges. I got up and slapped at the nightstand for my glasses. I placed them on my face and glanced at the clock; its arms pointed at exactly five in the morning. I gave up on the prospect of sleeping anytime soon, considering that I had to wake up an hour or so later. I hopped out of bed and padded towards the kitchen, yawning and scratching the side of my head. I downed a cold glass of water, checked out the fridge for no reason and returned to my room. Not a second after I stepped back inside, something heavy and angular crashed through the window. Startled, I let out a sharp gasp and stumbled backwards, accidentally knocking my glasses off my face as I fell. I sat up, fumbling at the floor for my lost lenses. Once I had them back at their rightful place, I took a look at whatever crashed through my window, which turned out to be a heavy-looking brick. I ran at the shattered window and looked outside. I spotted a shady silhouette of a person sprinting down the deserted street away from the house. I couldn't tell who were they. Mom barged into my room, a panicked expression painted on her face. She was in her housecoat and her hair was all ruffled from sleep.

"Sweetie? What happened?" she whispered.

"Somebody chucked a brick through the window, mom," I said, pointing at the heavy object that landed on the floor. She gasped and covered her mouth.

"Oh my goodness, are you hurt?" She immediately rushed at me and began inspecting me for any signs of potential damage.

"No, mom. I'm fine," I replied, breathing in her comforting scent, "Whoever threw it ran away. I couldn't see who."

"I'll.. I'll call your father," she said while standing up, and hurried downstairs for the phone. I shivered at the cold air seeping through the gash in the window. I stepped closer, careful not to cut my feet on the shattered glass and tried plugging up the hole with the biggest object I could find in my room, but that still left a small space for the nipping wind outside to sneak in. I almost cut my hand on the jagged edges, so I stepped away. I followed my mom downstairs. She was talking on the phone, nervously twirling the cord with a finger. She nodded, saying that she will inform the cops. She hung up then picked up the receiver again, dialling a three-digit code. I climbed back to my room, shivering at the frigid air that obliterated any semblance of warmth that was here a minute ago. It was around forty degrees outside, so no wonder my room got so cold this fast.

I trudged downstairs again, only to find mom sitting in the living room, absentmindedly staring at the floor and tapping her fingers on the couch arms. She told me that the cops won't do much apart from patrolling more often around our area. They seemed to think that some drunk most likely did it. I told her I won't be able to sleep in my room because it was now as cold as a meat locker. She offered her room, but I chose to roost in the living room instead. She told me she was going back to her room and she would be there if I needed her, before going upstairs. I stared vacantly through the living room window at the darkness outside. Whoever threw that brick couldn't have been a drunk. Drunks can't run that fast. At least not without falling over. I thought that it could have been the bullies from school, but they didn't knew where I live. What if someone told them or if they followed me home? I shuddered anxiously at the thought. I kept staring wide-eyed at nothing, only snapping out of it a while later. I got up and headed to my room, changed into my everyday clothes and packed my bag. I glanced at the alarm clock to find its arms pointing at quarter to six. I got downstairs and prepared a steaming mug of coffee and ate a few crackers for breakfast. It was 6 AM by the time I left the house. Usually, I woke up half an hour later on school days, so it felt strange walking out this early — The sun wasn't even fully up in the sky yet! I glanced back at the house, the large gash in my window was quite visible from the street. I hoped dad gets it replaced soon.

* * *

It was dumb luck the school was open at this ungodly hour. However, the hallways were unsurprisingly deserted, with only the cleaning lady roamed the school rooms. She was cleaning up the mess the kids left from the previous day and bemoaning the fact that every kid in Merrysville was just a filthy pig in disguise. I hoped the music classroom was open so I wouldn't have to listen to her complain. As I approached the aforementioned room, I heard a keyboard playing a soft tune I instantly recognized as the Moonlight Sonata. I doubted it was the teacher since she always showed up late for class, so who was playing this early? I peeked into the room, spotting a boy with a familiar lemon-yellow hair standing in the corner and playing the electric piano with his eyes shut.

Lucas?

I was about to step inside, but Lucas abruptly stopped playing, his fingers ghosting above a key for a few moments. Then he played a simple chord twice, and a peculiar light tune flowed out of the piano. I've never heard that melody before, but it had a certain sentimental feel to it, like it would've come out of a music box. Definitely memorable, though. I was distracted with staring at the way Lucas' fingers danced over the keyboard and listening to the music he played, so I jolted when I heard a soft whimper. I looked at his face again. His eyes were still shut tight, albeit rimmed with red like his nose. His lips were parted in a snarl, revealing tightly clenched teeth, his upper body rocked with weak sobs, and a steady stream of tears was flowing down his flushed face. He stopped playing altogether, hiding his face with both hands. My jaw dropped at the sight of Lucas crying. I was obviously intruding on a private moment, so I almost backed away before noticing that Lucas was very still. He still hid his face in his hands. I eyed him curiously for a whole minute.

"Heh."

I flinched. Did he just..?

"Eh-heh heh." He was chuckling, his face still hidden in his palms. He dropped his hands to his sides, revealing a manic grin that didn't meet the catatonic stare in his puffy, teary eyes. His facial expression sent a terrified shiver down my spine. I heard Lucas whisper inaudibly to himself, staring at the black and white keys in front of him, a few chuckles eerily filling the silence.

I pushed my glasses up my nose with a trembling hand. I didn't realize I was shaking like a leaf. I backed away and leaned against the wall next to the door, breathing rapidly. Lucas' mental stability was now severely questionable. No sane person instantly switched from playing music to sobbing uncontrollably to maniacal laughter and talking to themselves without having a few loose screws up there. I thought Lucas was the calm, collected one of the twins. Speaking of which, where was the lanky redhead? Claus was always within eyeshot of his twin, but now he was nowhere to be seen.

"I know you're there, Lloyd," Lucas' now-calm voice echoed from the room, making me wince. I shyly poked my head back inside to see him flashing me a completely even look, like he didn't care or notice I'd been given a front seat to his mad show. His face was now only slightly red.

"H-hi," I stammered, waving my hand coyly.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Um, I couldn't sleep last night, so I showed up early," I answered, gingerly shuffling inside the room. Lucas shifted his gaze to the keyboard in front of him.

"So you decided to show up to school early?" He scoffed, "Nerd."

I stopped in my tracks and furrowed my eyebrows at that. Lucas was always courteous and never insulted people. What was the matter?

"Wh-why are _you_ in here this early too?" I shot him an indignant frown.

"Couldn't sleep last night, so I showed up early," he replied, crossing his arms and giving me a pointed look.

"Oh. Um. Where's Claus?" I said, forcing a smile. He unexpectedly tensed and threw me an icy glare, his face plainly stating 'none of your damn business'. I shrank and backed away, defensively holding up my hands at his out-of-character expression. He stared at me with a vacant expression for a few seconds then dropping his gaze.

He sighed, "Don't wanna talk about it."

"Oh." I placed my bag on my usual chair in front of Lucas'.

"Um, what were you playing just now?" I asked again, trying to start some conversation.

"Moonlight sonata," was the flat reply. I chose not to ask about the other melody he was playing despite the fact it had decided to lodge itself in my brain and replay over and over again. We stood in strained silence for what seemed to be ages. The cleaning lady poked her head in and yelled at us that she'd just cleaned the room and did not want to see us turn it into a pigsty like she knew we would. Lucas nodded and politely assured her the classroom will remain devoid of porcine filthiness.

"Bitch," he bitterly spat once she turned her back. I turned in my seat and gave him a wide-eyed look. What happened to nice, passive, soft-spoken Lucas? He seemed to have noticed me gawking at him, so he rolled his eyes and shrugged, opting to sit in his usual chair behind me. For some reason, I wasn't comfortable being within his immediate vicinity, so I bolted out of my place as if a tack suddenly sprung out of my seat. He gave me a puzzled look.

"I- I wanna try and play something o-on the piano," I said, quickly thinking of an excuse.

"Really, now?" He said, a condescending tone in his voice. I puffed a cheek in annoyance. I didn't know what was his problem, but he was toxic to be around today. I apprehensively approached the piano. I wasn't half bad, but I knew I couldn't hold a candle to Lucas' skill. I quickly racked my head for most impressive piece I could play that wasn't Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. I had an idea. Since that tune was stuck in my head, I could try giving it a shot and see what Lucas would do. I started playing the first two chords.

I immediately switched to playing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, fearing the look in Lucas' icy blue eyes.

* * *

Bad news: Lucas was still keeping the bad mood act, although he silently clung to Ness most of the time like a lost puppy. I had yet to know how did Ness suddenly become Lucas' best friend, but he was naturally good at making friends, I guess. Claus was still nowhere to be seen.

Worse news: That tune had officially become an earworm, continuously repeating itself through my mind since the moment I heard it. It wasn't even catchy!

The good news, however, were that Ninten showed up to school today. The thing is, I knew he was quite a popular kid, but I had no idea he was friends with basically everyone in school. The moment he arrived, he was dogpiled by at least a dozen well-wishers. I wasn't able to come near him until break.

Or more like, I sat alone in the cafeteria and he eventually decided to wade through his fan club and approach me.

"Hey, dude," Ninten said, placing an elbow on top of my head. I shook it off and looked up, giving him a tired smile.

"Hi," I said.

"You kinda seem out of it today," Ninten noted, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't have a good night's sleep," I replied, pushing up my glasses.

"That's the coffee you've been chugging all the time coming around," he joked, sitting in front to me. I shrugged and told Ninten about the brick that shattered its way through my window this morning.

"A damn _brick_?" Ninten exclaimed, drawing a few people's attention.

"Erm, yes." I nodded uncomfortably, gesturing to Ninten to lower his voice.

"Well? You saw who threw it?"

"Nope. Whoever threw the brick ran away before I could see his face."

"Weird," Ninten mused, "So what did you do after that?"

"Nothing," I shrugged, "Mom called the cops, and I came to school really early. Saw Lucas in the music room too." I snuck a glance at a table in the corner where Lucas ate silently.

"Huh? What was he doing there that early?"

"Dunno," I mumbled, remembering Lucas' attitude, "He was probably upset about something. I didn't ask."

"Why?"

"Because he's in a foul mood, is why," I replied, sneaking another look at the sulking blond, "I mean, did you see him today?"

"Uh huh," he nodded, "He looks like a wreck. Have you seen Claus today?"

"No."

"You know, Lucas had been weird like that. His family has a pretty tough past."

My curiosity was piqued, "Really?"

"Yeah. Their mother died during the Pigmask invasion four years ago," he said. I did a double take at that, "They came here and settled in Podunk at first."

"Pigmasks? Are they from Nowhere Islands?" I'd heard stories about the Pigmask Army invasion of a small archipelago off the coast of Foggyland. Tazmily is.. _was_ the only village there, before the invaders razed it to the ground. I also knew that Tazmilites were unique people, living an extraordinarily simple life. Not many people from there survived.

"Mhm," he hummed, toying with the locks of hair that poked out of his cap, "I knew the two since they were in Podunk. We weren't exactly friends, but we played together sometimes," he paused. I motioned to him to continue, "They moved to this town so they'd live closer to their dad's work. He now works in Duncan's factory. That's why they moved down here."

I gave an understanding nod. Merrysville sort of mushroomed from a tiny town inhabited mostly by white, devout Protestants into a rather diverse small city after some big-name corporations decided to set up their headquarters and factories here. A somber silence ensued for a few moments.

"By the way," Ninten spoke up, "Did you hear about the new kid?"

In other news, a new kid transferred here. It was fairly uncommon for a new student to transfer halfway through the semester, but it happened. Everybody here loved gossip, so I heard wild things about the new kid from the chatting kids in the hallways, something around the lines of him being from some Chommo royalty among other weird rumors.

"Rumors. Haven't seen him yet."

"Well, speak of the devil. Look who's with him, too." Ninten quipped, glancing at a point behind me. I looked back and saw a peculiar kid entering the cafeteria. The first thing I noticed about him was his hairstyle; a completely shaven head save for a long, flowing black braid that pegged him as a follower of the Mu discipline of Dalaam. He was of average height and a tanned complexion. His almond eyes stared impassively at the gawking students, who were most likely taking in his novel appearance. I guess anybody had the right to stare — Not every student showed up to school in Kung Fu garb. The Dalaamian skimmed the room in apparent boredom. When his eyes landed on us, a recognizant yet perplexed look appeared on his face.

I heard Ness chatter excitedly behind him. My eyes shot at the Eaglelander, who popped up from behind the new kid. I looked between them in confusion. They knew each other? I watched Ness animatedly gesturing and talking to his apparent friend, leading the braided boy towards a table, then proceed to talk his ear off for a few minutes. I looked back at Ninten.

"Yeah. Ness apparently knows that guy," I said.

"No, duh," Ninten said, rolling his eyes. The playful smirk on his face quickly faded, staring towards the door behind me again. I followed his gaze where a tall hooded kid stood at the door, looking at the floor. The hoodie hid half of his face, but I recognized him as Claus. I noticed he had a split lip and a nasty bruise on the visible part of his cheek. Lucas sprang out of his place and hurried towards his twin. I saw them exchange worried looks from Lucas and a glare from Claus. Lucas placed his hand on his brother's shoulder, gently leading him out.

With that, they walked out of our sight. I wondered what happened to Claus to get such injuries. Ninten watched them leave with an unreadable expression on his face. Moments later, he spoke up.

"I wanna find out about the new kid, come on." He stood up and motioned for me to follow. We approached them, with me hiding slightly behind Ninten since I wasn't exactly comfortable with meeting a new person. Ness was talking excitedly with the new kid.

"Hiya, guys," Ninten greeted casually. The newcomer eyed us curiously, while Ness seemed particularly chipper.

"Ninten, hey," Ness chirped, then turned his attention back to his acquaintance, "Poo, this is Ninten. A friend of mine, too. And this is Lloyd. America's very own Jeff Andonuts," he said, pointing his thumb at us, "Guys, this is Poo, an old friend of mine from Dalaam. We go a long way back." I narrowed my eyes at my description, but gave an acknowledging nod nonetheless. I didn't quite get his name, though. The term 'Poo' usually had smelly connotations around here.

"Pleasure to meet you," Poo said in an overly formal tone, a slight accent audible in his voice. It was odd, but charming in its own way.

"Dalaam, huh?" Ninten said, then whistled in approval, "Never met anybody from there, so that's really cool. How's the thick air in the lowlands down here?"

"America has stinking air, Ninten. That's pretty much a given," Ness said. Ninten slapped the back of his head.

"Shut up, Ness," Ninten replied as he sat next to the other red-capped boy. I pulled a chair and sat in front of the narrower head of the table. An entertained smirk tugged on the corner of Poo's mouth.

"I never knew you had a twin brother," Poo remarked. Ness looked a bit uncomfortable and eyed the table formerly occupied by a certain blond at the other corner.

"Eh, Ninten isn't my brother," Ness said, laughing awkwardly.

"Yeah, but we do pass as _twins_ , right?" Ninten said, drawling out the word 'twins' and giving me a glance, "So, maybe it's a bit rude to ask, but mind telling me how you two know each other?" he asked, changing the topic.

"I know Master Ness from my early pilgrimage years," Poo replied, "Mu initiates have to visit several locations around the world. The first of which was nearby a city in Eagleland. That was where we met."

"A world pilgrimage?" I spoke up for the first time, "Any one of those locations happens to be here in the States?"

"Yes, in fact it is a nearby place called the Holy Loly Mountain."

"You mean Mt. Itoi? It was renamed ages ago," I said, "This town is right at the foot of that mountain."

"It seems we still refer to it by its old name, yes. I am supposed to visit the summit in two months time."

"Why two months?" I asked. Poo wore his amused smirk again.

"You are quite full of questions, sir. Master Ness was right to compare you to Sir Andonuts." I pursed my lips to the side in exasperation.

"To answer your question," Poo continued, smirk still firmly in place, "My visit has to coincide with the 90th anniversary of my father's pilgrimage."

"90th?" Ninten and I cried out in unison.

"Just how old is your dad?" Ninten asked.

"My father would be 105 this year," Poo replied casually, "My family happens to be long-lived. My grandfather died at the age of 120 long before I was born."

"Yeah," Ness chipped in, "Did you know Poo is royalty? His father _is_ the king of Dalaam himself."

"Whoa, no way!" Ninten exclaimed. The aforementioned prince looked less than impressed.

"Master, I implore you not to discuss this in front of others," he said as he steepled his fingers together.

"Wait, why are you calling him 'master'?" Ninten said, looking perplexed.

"In my country," Poo replied, "If someone teaches you a physical discipline, be it a form of martial arts or sports, they become your masters. Master Ness taught me baseball, so he would be my master of baseball."

"Ness? A baseball master? Hardly," Ninten said mockingly. The 'master' elbowed him, only for Ninten to respond back with a light shove. Soon, they started slapping at each other's arms. Poo watched, his amusement seemed to double.

"Are they always like that?" He asked me with a raised eyebrow. I bit back a laugh and nodded. The shrill ringing of the bell interrupted their silly fight.

"Welp, there goes the break," Ninten said, readjusting his cap and standing up, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Poo. We'll see you around, yeah?"

"Of course."

Ninten stood behind Ness and leaned down towards his ear, "I need to talk to you after school, okay?" he muttered in an undertone, then tapped the seated boy's shoulder. Ness looked in confusion back at him.

"Okay?"

"Good. Hey, we don't wanna get late to class. Come on, Lloyd," Ninten said, straightening up and turning towards the cafeteria. I stood up and quickly said goodbye to the other two, before following Ninten out to the hallway.

"What was that about?" I asked, catching up with Ninten. He shot me an amused look not unlike Poo's.

"Poo's a PSI user too," he said, "I have to be blind not to notice. The guy's practically glowing with it."

I looked at him flatly, "Really? Because I kinda missed that."

"That's because you're not a psychic, dude. Ness and I aren't strong enough for our powers to be that _visible_ to each other, but Poo is something else."

"Oh. You didn't say why did you ask Ness to meet you after school?"

"I'm probably gonna grill that idiot about Lucas too. He must've told him who fed Claus a knuckle sandwich for breakfast. Have you seen his face?"

"Yeah," I said, wincing at that, "What makes you so sure he knows?"

"Because I have a good hunch who did it, though I ain't jumping to conclusions yet," he replied with a knowing smirk as he skipped into the classroom.

I rubbed my forehead. This was all too confusing, and Ninten wasn't helping with his stupid mysterious act. Whatever he's up to, it's none of my business. I followed Ninten to our usual seats. I let out a yawn and propped up my head on my elbowed arm. I'm exhausted already and it's barely halfway through school.

Oh, I'd kill for a nap right now.

* * *

 **A/N: So, the tune Lucas played was 'Letter From You, My Sweet' in case you were imagining. I kinda think of it as Hinawa's leitmotif in the game. It also fits the piano really well. Just look for the piano cover on YouTube. I guess it's called Mother 3 Piano Medley? You'll know it from the sunflower photo.**

 **I'm not too happy with this chapter, really. I wrote it all in one sitting weeks ago, but I'm still 'meh' about it. At least I wanted to introduce Poo, because he'll be crucial a few chapters from now.**

 **ANYWAY, reviews:**

 **AzureNova: Yeah, the dating thing is a misunderstanding that'll be a pain in the behind for Lloyd. At least I find it funny enough to bring it up a few times. :P**

 **Good eye. That _is_ Travis. Figured I'd place him in the story somewhere. It's unfortunate Mother 4 has stalled this long, though. It's a... Travisty. **

**Please don't hit me. XD**

 **'Beware the Quiet Ones?' Oh, c'mon! Quiet Ones are the best Ones out there. Unless they're too quiet, which raises the question of their mental stability and validate the trope.**

 **Connor the speling pro: Reading back helps discovering cringeworthy mistakes that slipped through the proofreading. I'm sure I'll find plenty in this chapter after I read it a day or two from now. :P**

 **I finished Differential equations last year. I got a D+ but I couldn't have been happier. (Since only 5 out of 20 passed it, myself counted). As for calculating foci of conical sections, it's got practical use. For example, an engineer could use that to design a parabolic antenna (aka satellite dish) that concentrates the signal beam on its focus point (which is the point where equal length straight lines from the parabola shape converge to... Umm.. OK, I think I'm nerding too much now. I'll stop boring you) XD**

 **Speaking of nerds, Lloyd never punched someone before, so yeah I'd imagine he'd feel awful for doing that. The pencil case thing is harmless (It was a Mother 4 cameo. :P) As for Jeremy, he's apparently some reactionary guy who got told that Lloyd said something nasty about him.**

 **Ye, that's basically what I think of Jeff. Quite the curious kid - enough to ignore a baseball to the eye. :D**

 **StickOfTruth: That 'being watched' thing is gonna be explained next chapter. I'm sure you noticed the bullies were hardly mentioned this time, right? :P**

 **Aw, thank you so much ^_^ I'm glad you think of it that way.** **Good thing you told me about This Game Called Life. I _was_ thinking of writing something about an 'Adopted' Ness. Glad to know that idea has been used already. XD Great story, nonetheless. **

**Responding to reviews is actually my favourite thing when I post an update, so I like to reply to each review posted even if it was critical or really short.**

 **Soleil: Thanks :3**

 **Well, not really, Claus didn't teleport to the end of the corridor. Sort of. Long legs plus a quick pace equals Teleport illusion. I kinda imagine him as being a lanky, spaghetti-like dude. No idea why, though.**

 **Yeah, that was a little Travis moment. Also** **Ness did indeed cause a catastrophe. Whoops! XD**

 **I'm planning a side-plot concerning the twins. I was going to make them only feature as a cameo, but those two are just more interesting/complex than that. As for how did Lucas and Ness meet, they share a class (namely Art), but how did they hit it off as friends is still anyone's guess.**

 **Thanks for taking the time to read and review this. ^_^**

 **adricarra: Hey again. :)**

 **Everyone's busy because schools/universities like to see us poor students squirm. T_T**

 **Yeah, Lloyd let Ninten's secret slip, but it's all good at the end. It's not like Ness is stranger to PSI, no? :P**

 **T** **hat PK Flash fail is basically me playing Super Smash Bros. - I have to yet land a successful hit using that attack. xD**


	13. Chapter 13 - Pencils Conduct Electricity

**Chapter 13 - Pencils Conduct Electricity**

I fell asleep in class.

Thankfully, Ms. Farrell was back again, so I got away with a quick rebuke instead of having Pauline bite my head off. Had it been another day, I would have been absolutely mortified at being called out in class, but now I couldn't bring myself to care. Ninten had to shake me awake many times afterwards, but he gave up on me after maybe the hundredth attempt. I ignored the chuckles and snarky remarks from the imbeciles at the back, staring at the space in front of me with droopy eyes.

I didn't fare any better during the next class. The stuffy Geography room kept me awake most of the time, but the teacher spoke in double Dutch. Ness kept poking me in my back with his pencil in a futile attempt to frustrate me awake. I vaguely heard the teacher talk about longitudes and latitudes. How do coordinates work again? I only recall that Merrysville lied approximately on 76 West, and that's that.

If there was a cure for insomnia, it would be Math period. I couldn't last long in the face of the sedative powers of mathematics. I propped my head on an elbowed arm and began to doze off.

"Lloyd!" the teacher's chastising voice eventually reached my ears, jolting me awake, "Are you sleeping in my class?"

"No, ma'am," I said, straightening up. She gave me a disapproving look.

"Okay, Mr. Smartypants," she said, eliciting a few giggles from the class, "What is the value of x?" She pointed her finger at the blackboard.

"It's two point sixty-seven," I answered, then realized I actually pulled the number out of my behind. I clamped a hand to my mouth, panicking inwardly, but the teacher gave an impressed nod.

"Very good," she hummed approvingly, returning to the board.

I glanced at the blackboard, where the teacher began scribbling the solution of the question I had just magically answered. The unfathomable scribbles made a vein in my eyelid throb. If my normal self appeared now, I would be deeply ashamed of myself. At the end of the class, the teacher handed out our previous homework, then the he bell finally rang. I let out a yawn and trudged out. I got a perfect score of course, but I chose to place it in my locker so I wouldn't lose it at home. When I got there, I was surprised to find a few square post-it notes wedged inside the locker's hinge. I plucked one out and read its contents.

It had 'kill yourself' in all-caps scrawled on it, and the second one read 'little fag' in similar hostile print. I did a double-take in confusion, snatching the rest of the notes and reading them one after the other. Some of them contained lewd remarks about me 'getting it on' [sic] with Ninten, other notes told me to go die in a hole. I stopped reading the vulgar notes and fumbled in my pocket for the locker key. I placed the homework on top of the neat pile of school papers inside then slammed the locker shut. How rude, and also how cowardly. At least I was glad whoever did this was content with sticking notes in the locker instead of delivering a more permanent message with marker pens or something. I trashed the notes in a nearby bin, ensuring I tore each one in half with vengeance, earning myself a satisfying _rip_.

"What are you doing?" An inquisitive voice sounded from behind me.

"Eek!" I jumped and turned around, only to find Ninten standing with a curious expression on his face. I dropped the rest of the notes, flashing him a nervous smile, "Oh. Ninten. Hi."

"Hi back to you," A good-natured grin drew across his face, "Did I scare you?"

"No," I lied, "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for Ana. I told her I'd meet her around here, so.."

He trailed off, scanning the crowd around us before he perked up, "Oh. There she is."

I spotted Ana approach us from the other end of the hallway. She waved at Ninten, who seemed too happy at seeing her, evident from his excited waving back at her. The two exchanged greetings, and I gave a nod when she greeted me.

"I thought I saw you with that new Asian kid," Ana remarked, "He's pretty weird, right?"

"Yeah. He's from Dalaam. We don't get to see many people from there. He's alright, actually," Ninten said, stepping to his locker a few paces from mine. He fished out a pink binder decorated with puffy white clouds and roses from there.

"Thanks for letting me copy your notes, Ann," he said, handing her the binder.

"Anytime, Ninten," she said, smiling sweetly.

I unhinged my jaw in another yawn, covering my mouth with the back of my hand. I idly watched the two, observing how they talked to each other animatedly with broad smiles on their faces. Bah, whoever wrote those notes can go eat them. Ninten obviously likes Ana. She kissed him on the cheek before walking away. He watched her leave with a dumb grin on his face.

I rest my case.

He closed his locker and turned to me. He got a pack of gum from his pocket and took a piece. He held the pack in front of my face.

"Some gum?" he offered after a moment.

"Huh?" I snapped out of my thoughts. I shook my head, "No thanks, I don't like gum."

"Come on, it's good for you," he joked, "Dextrose and artificial flavors. Good stuff."

I chuckled at that, taking an piece from the offered pack and plopped it in my mouth. It tasted disgusting, but I chewed the stick silently, trying not to cringe at the awful combination of cinnamon and the medicinal flavor that was supposed to be cherry. A minute later, Ninten pulled his mouth into a grimace.

"Man, I don't know about this gum," he said, pointing to his face. He pulled out the half-chewed piece from his mouth.

"I didn't want to say anything," I said, laughing at his sour expression. I extended a hand, "Here."

He reluctantly placed the gum in my hand. I chucked the pieces of chewed gum into the trash.

"A lot of people would be grossed out by that," Ninten remarked. I shrugged.

"Yeah, well. Not me."

"You know, I think Ana would've passed out just from the thought."

"So, you and Ana," I said, "You guys seem pretty tight."

"Yeah. Known her for three years," he replied.

"How'd you meet her? Since she's from Snowman and all."

Ninten chuckled.

"It was the weirdest thing," he said, a wistful smile on his face, "I was visiting relatives with my parents there, and I found a hat on the side of the road. Kept asking around for its owner all day. Dunno why I walked into the town church, but that's where I first saw her. She told me that hat was hers, and that she'd lost it a few days ago. She said I looked like a boy who appeared in one of her dreams returning it to her."

"That sounds like something out of a corny romance movie," I said, raising a pale eyebrow. Ninten shot me an annoyed look.

"Shut up. We were kids back then."

"Sorry," I said, stifling a laugh. I was lost in thought for a moment, "She seems to like you a whole lot, though."

"Yeah. I like her a lot, too."

 _Success._

"Good, because half the school thinks you and I are dating," I noted flatly, taking my mind back to the kindly-worded notes stuck on my locker.

"Aww, but aren't we?" Ninten asked in a mock pout. I shot him a horrified look, at which he doubled over in laughter.

"Jeez. Lighten up, Lloyd," he said through his chortles. His jocular temper dropped when he saw Ness exiting the school building with the Dalaam prince walking next to him.

"Well. Here's the man of the hour," Ninten remarked, "I'll go talk to him. You better catch your bus before it leaves, okay?"

"But I wanna know what happened to Lucas and Claus too," I whined. Ninten didn't seem too impressed.

"I'll tell you tomorrow," he said, mimicking my whining tone. I gave him a peeved look, screwing my face into a very childish pout. Ninten let out a sigh, removing his hat and running a hand through his hair.

"Look. Maybe Ness doesn't know anything," he reasoned, placing his cap back on his head, "I need you to keep an eye on them if that was the case."

I had a deep-seated feeling that Ninten was trying to get rid of me and talk to Ness alone, but I nodded in agreement nonetheless. He beamed and pulled me in to ruffle the top of my head with his fist.

"Attaboy," he said. I yelped and swatted at his hand before he let me go. He waved goodbye then turned around to approach the other psychic or psychics, if Poo turned out to be one as well. I turned to find the 'stink bus' as named by one redheaded twin. Said twin was currently climbing inside the bus with his brother. I approached the bus and followed inside, taking my usual seat a row behind the twins. Both of them sat rigidly in their place with clenched fists and the same tight scowl drew on each of their faces. They must have had an argument before school ended, otherwise the palpable tension between them wouldn't be this obvious.

Through much of the ride, neither Claus nor Lucas said a word to each other, choosing to stare into the space in front of them. The bus was almost empty when Lucas turned his head to face his brother. He whispered something I couldn't hear to Claus, who snapped his head towards the blond. I sat up closer to hear their exchange.

"No," Claus snarled. Lucas had a pleading look on his face.

"Claus, please," Lucas said, "You know he didn't mean what he did—"

"Oh, of _course_ he didn't mean it," Claus interrupted, causing Lucas to flinch. When he realized his voice was too loud, he lowered it to a whisper, "The fucker was thoroughly shit-faced, and look what I got when I called him out on his bullshit."

Lucas shot him an angry glare, yet he looked like he was on the verge of tears, "Don't call him that."

"For god's sake, pull yourself together, man!" Claus muttered in an exasperated tone, then looked firmly into his brother's eyes, "You know I'm right, Lucas. Dad promised us he won't touch a bottle again when we moved down here. He _promised_."

With that, he stood up and left Lucas, who lowered his head and wiped a tear from his face. Claus sat on the nearest empty seat on the bus, namely the one next to mine. I braved a sideways look at him. The hoodie was off his head, revealing messy hair, a busted lip and a badly bruised cheek. His brow ridge above the left eye was slightly swollen as well. I shuddered, thinking that his father might have done this to him. I feigned innocence and stared out through the window. He leaned towards me.

"I know you were listening," Claus gritted slowly through clenched teeth, "If one word got out, I'll end you."

I shrank under the icy glare identical to the one Lucas gave me this morning after that rather psychotic episode. I nodded anyway, fidgeting with my fingers. I wasn't going to bet on him not throttling me on the spot. Claus leaned back and fixed his gaze at the back of Lucas' neck. Once we reached our stop, Lucas abruptly stood up and stomped out of the bus, and Claus followed in a leisurely step. I hopped off, following behind Claus but keeping my distance. The two walked silently next to each other, with Lucas eyeing his brother nervously. He bowed his head, hesitantly walking beside the redhead.

"C'mere," Claus eventually said, wrapping an arm around Lucas' slumped shoulders and pulling him close. Lucas seemed more relaxed, leaning into his brother's hold as they went down the street. They were bickering a moment ago, and now this. I don't understand brothers, but it's surely something I wish I had. I watched them for one more moment before turning around and strolling towards my house. So much for explaining the twins' mystery. I hoped Ness told Ninten something that could explain what I just heard, but I won't say anything if Ness didn't know what happened; Claus' threat was too clear.

When I reached my house, someone called behind me. I turned around to find the two bullies, the kid who kicked me yesterday (Jeremy, I think) and three others I couldn't recognize standing on the other side of the road. My stomach sank in dread; they were ganging up on me right in front of my house? And of all times, it's when both of my parents were outside the house. I watched as they confidently crossed the street. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be them who threw the brick this morning and stuck the notes in my locker.

"Step right up. We got a freak show! We got the faggot albino show!" The dark-haired bully said, clapping his hands slowly as he led the group towards me. I gasped, taking a few steps back. I tripped on a loose stone and fell backwards. The bullies quickly closed their distance and loomed above me, a smirk plastered on their faces. One of them roughly kicked me in the side while Jeremy grabbed my foot to stop me from running away, but I squirmed enough for my shoe to come off. I rose up to my feet and scampered away from their grasp towards the house.

"Get back here," Jeremy yelled, throwing the shoe at me. I let out a grunt when the shoe knocked me in the back of my head, but I ignored the blow and barged through the front door, slamming it shut behind me and turning the lock. My heart drummed loudly in my ears, almost drowning out the noise of the bullies pounding on the door. The room started spinning, and I felt an urge to throw up.

"Open up, you little shit," I heard them demand. I stepped back, looking around for something to stop them from busting down the door before an idea jumped into my mind. I ran to the kitchen and broke out a thin sheet pan from there, rattling down a few plates and trays as I yanked it out. I hurried to the garage and rummaged through dad's tools. I fished out the battery cables from there and went back to the front door where the bullies knocked ceaselessly at it, cursing at the top of their lungs and threatening to crash it down. I flinched when a hard kick banged on the door, suppressing down a sob. It wasn't the time to cry helplessly now.

"I swear to fucking Christ, I'll piss on your doorstep if you don't open immediately," A seething voice that belonged to the greasy-haired blond bellowed from behind the door. I shakily clamped one end of the cables' on the sheet pan and slid it under the door making sure it touched the bottom hinge that was linked to the doorknob through a thin metal frame inside the wood. After that, I stood up and got out two pencils from my bag and clamped down the other jaws on them, ensuring the copper jaws bit through to the lead, then drove the pencils' ends inside a nearby electric socket, starting a few sparks from the metal tray. I peeked through the peephole, careful not to touch it with my face or step on the wired sheet pan.

"Haha, yeah. Go piss on the freak's house," one of the bullies said as the others barked out in laughter. I heard a few footsteps as the bullies backed off, and a brief _zip_ sound as the tall blond undid his fly. I immediately retreated back and kicked the tray further outwards with my shoed foot. A second later, I heard the sound of liquid hitting against metal followed by loud cracks of electricity. The bully howled in agony, eliciting panicked cries from the others. I peeked through the door lens again to find the greasy blond curled around himself on the front porch's floor, whimpering in tears. I watched as the other bullies hauled him up and scuttled away, cursing and promising revenge at the top of their lungs.

It was all too quiet after they had left, save for the loud thrumming in my ears. I forced a gulp down my parched throat, pulled out the cables with a trembling hand and unhooked the cables from the metal tray. My mind went blank as I robotically coiled the cables and drew in the hot sheet pan, now discoloured with yellow-white dry splotches. With a stiff step, I marched to the back and disposed of the dirty thing unceremoniously, noticing the heated metal wrinkling the plastic bag that lined the trash can. I returned the battery cable before trudging to my room.

I stared at the gash in the window, then flopped down on my bed, staring at the ceiling above me. In a moment of strange lucidity, I recalled that pencil leads were made of graphite; a good electrical conductor, and that human urine contained salt which made it conductive as well. I noticed there were some open windows a few yards away from the front door that the bullies could've totally used to get to me. I wondered why they failed to notice those windows, but I wasn't going to judge my luck. I felt suddenly overwhelmed. I didn't want to think of what they would've done to me had they gotten to me. A tear escaped, then I completely broke down, curling into a fetal position.

It was unnerving how I could think clearly through my sobs, vividly noticing how the pillow was getting soaked and feeling the cold air sneaking in from the broken window, yet I couldn't will myself to stop crying if my life depended on it. I didn't know how long I stayed like that, but eventually I drifted off to a deep sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Back with another chapter. I think the next chapter would be centered around either Poo or Lucas and Claus. I even thought of switching POVs, but as a 1st person story I want it to be fully told through Lloyd's nearsighted eyes, so that's no bueno.**

 **That Home Alone-esque scene at the end with the bullies was inspired by a movie I watched ages ago (It's not Home Alone). There are a few lines in this chapter that I swiped from other movies, too. (Not verbatim, but too close to be recognisable if you watched the quoted movie). Let's play a game of guessing, shall we? :P**

 _ **Review Responses:**_

 _ **Guest:**_

 **Yeah, Poo is definitely one of the coolest characters in Earthbound. I like him too. :)**

 _ **AzureNova:**_

 **Someone(s) has it out for him, indeed. Too bad they got what was coming to them. The painful way, too. :P**

 **As for Claus, I think you have a rough idea (if you didn't figure it out already, since it's used too often in fanfics) who did this to him after reading this chapter.**

 _ **Connor the speling pro:**_

 **Haha, yeah I get wrong calculations a lot. Usually an overlooked sign or somewhere at the beginning throws a wrench in the whole work. You get stumped on torque, and I abhor anything that has to do with trigonometry since I almost never get anything right with it. And yes, D.E was an absolute nightmare. XD After such a course, calculus I and II sound like a walk down the park.**

 **Creepy Lucas is.. well.. creepy. Poor lad's got a lot on his plate. :L** **Well.. You can count how many people that have a vendetta against Lloyd enough to chuck a brick at his window. :P It is too obvious, I know.**

 **Ginormous paragraph split in half with a meat cleaver. (a.k.a Enter key). I thought some paragraphs were very long too, but I actually got too lazy with formatting. I think this chapter is less blocky since I wrote small, out of order parts of the dialog first before expanding the scene and narrative around them. I hope it doesn't make the chapter sound disjointed, but at least I didn't use line breaks here.**

 **Poo is around the boys' age, too. I read once in the news that a man from India had his 20th child at the age of 90, so it happens in that part of the world, and some monarchies in Asia are ruled by fairly old kings (like Thailand.. Saudi Arabia..). I imagine Poo would act as a regent whe** **n his dad is too ancient to rule anymore, just like how such real-life monarchies work, but they don't reach the hundreds in real life.**

 _ **adricarra:**_

 **Thank you. ^_^**

 **Bricks aren't meant to smash through windows, so yeah no wonder he was startled. XD As for whoever threw it, you can guess who hates Lloyd enough to follow him home and chuck a brick into his window first thing at dawn. :P**

 **Lucas' creepiness is a passing episode (hopefully XD), and yeah I like those medleys. No Claus is alive and well, but with a few knocks and scrapes thanks to an inebriated parent. Maybe. I'll get to that next chapter, I promise. XD**

 **Poo's a potent PSI user with an ancient dad. :P Extremely old people do have children so late in their lives. Read it on the news. Poo has two masters in the game, the Star Master (who teaches him PK Starstorm) and his mentor in the palace who sends him to his journey with Ness (named in Mother 2 as Yi-Shi-Qi or something). Let's add Ness as his Baseball Master then. :P And yeah, I find Ninten and Ness being confused as twins to be hilarious. :P**

 _ **StickOfTruth:**_

 **Thanks. :)**

 **Lucas doesn't seem to function well under duress, so he kinda slips into Psycho Mode when emotionally overwhelmed, I guess. The next chapters will have those two under the spotlight, as well as Poo.**

 **Ninten's a good lad. :P And yeah, I think Ninten sees Lloyd as a better friend than most others. In Mother 1 you can't even beat the game without Lloyd. You can beat the game with those two only as well. (spoiler) the Live House dance scene, though. :P (/spoiler)**

 **Ah, the newest episode of South Park was hilarious. I watched every single episode of that show, so the cursory understanding is pretty well-established. XD I don't know about the South Park fandom since I don't really follow it. I probably should, since I'm now curious about what 'waves' the episode had made. (other than severe fangirling and semi-epileptic seizures from the artists whose work was featured on the episode :P)**

 **As for Claus, like I said: The twins will get a chapter for themselves and Poo will get a pivotal role in the next chapters as well. And yeah, I can understand reading the review first and the chapter next. I probably should shift the A/N the the top just like how the other authors do. Maybe next time. XD**


	14. Chapter 14 - Hinawa's Box

**Chapter 14 - Hinawa's Box**

I woke up with a pounding headache a few hours later. With a grunt, I got up and went downstairs, hoping my parents would be home by now. It turned out they were still out despite me having slept for a long time. I walked into the kitchen and downed a cold glass of water, feeling the much-needed cold liquid slide down my parched throat. I placed down the glass and stared towards the living room, reflecting on whatever happened a few hours ago. I was reckless and crazy to come up with that plan to repel the bullies. I could've totally burned down the house or worse, severely injured or even killed that kid. Despite being nothing but an absolute menace to me, I felt extremely bad when I saw him in tears on my front porch. I realized I needed a bit of fresh air, the idea of staying alone in the house was starting to become too much for me now. I climbed back to my room and grabbed something warmer to wear, which turned out to be Ninten's grey hoodie. Only because it was warm and cozy, not because I thought it was comforting at the moment. I placed a post-it note on the fridge, informing my parents I was out for a walk in case either one came back while I'm away. As I walked out of the house, I questioned the wisdom of leaving at this hour, but I figured the bullies wouldn't be around anymore. At least not after.. _that_.

I felt the strong wind outside nipping at the tip of my ears and nose. I shivered, raising my shoulders as goosebumps crept down my spine. If the wind got any stronger it could lift a person. I should know, since I barely tipped the scales at 90 pounds soaking wet in all my clothes and with sandbags attached to my ankles. I stuffed my hands inside the hoodie pockets and continued walking, watching my breath condense into cloudy puffs before dissipating in the air. Eventually, I passed by Ninten's house, the mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat wafted through the air. My stomach gurgled, protesting not eating anything all day. I ignored my grumbling stomach and continued forward. I passed through a lot of streets that I knew nothing about, eventually noticing the imposing silhouette of Duncan Factory looming a few blocks away from where I was. I stopped to look at a massive lit billboard reading 'Duncan Corporation' depicting a suburban setting, with a cheesy tagline, 'Transforming Merrysville by the end of the Millennium'. I must have reached the other side of town; I was completely lost and it was already too dark, so I had to ask someone for directions. There wasn't a soul on the streets now, however. I spotted a small convenience store across the street. I carefully crossed and walked in. There was a tall man with a light brown goatee wearing a wide cowboy hat on top of factory uniform and standing in front of the cashier. H for a carton of eggs and a few other grocery items before walking away with a stiff gait. I asked the cashier lady for directions to my street address. She shook her head as no, she didn't know. The cowboy stopped and turned around.

"Don't you mean that street with a small park at the corner?" he asked with a gravelly voice. He had a faint accent I couldn't quite place. I nodded.

"I live nearby," he said, and gave me a lengthy description of the directions back, "You're a little out of your way, kid. I can give you a ride if you like."

I hesitated, unsure whether I should go with a stranger. He could be a pedophile or something, but he looked trustworthy enough. Besides, I'm pretty sure I've seen his peculiar 70s-era Dodge car around the street before, validating his claim as a neighbor. I nodded again, gingerly thanking him for offering a ride. He silently tipped his hat in reply. I noted he looked rather dispirited, dragging his feet to the car as if being compelled. I was awkwardly silent throughout the ride, unsure of what to say. I kept sneaking curious glances towards the hat. I didn't quite get his fashion style, but I've seen weirder clothes. He might be hiding goofy hair or a bald spot under that big hat. The man noticed me staring and smirked.

"Geez, you're persistent," he said in an amused tone, gazing at the road, "You're wondering about my hair, aren't you?"

I shamefully nodded. He chuckled, shifting the gears before picking up his hat, revealing a marvelously smooth scalp underneath.

"That's right," he said, "I'm bald as a bean."

I laughed at the analogy.

"That's a funny way of putting it, Mister, um…" I trailed off. I didn't even know his name.

"Name's Flint," he said, "Yeah, my boys came up with that, actually."

"You must really be close with them," I remarked. I didn't think I could joke about something like that with my dad. I was usually too formal around my own father. I was surprised by the sad look Flint had on his face.

"Wish that was true," he said, "Not these days I'm afraid. I've been a lousy parent to them, especially my older son."

I arched my eyebrows, "Oh. S-sorry about that, sir."

"I'm so proud of him, you know? Heh. It's funny how I'm telling that to some random kid," Flint said with a bitter smile, "But I'm gonna make it up for my kids and be a better parent somehow. Even if both of them hate me now, they still need me."

I nodded in understanding. I wondered why he didn't mention a wife, but I decided not to pry since he had already told me a lot even if he didn't know my name. We were silent for a while, and I had just realized Flint was driving through my house's street.

"Which one's your house?" he said.

"Just passed it," I replied, pointing with my thumb to a point behind me. Flint slammed the brakes and pushed the gears into reverse.

"Glad I wasn't driving fast," he said, rolling the car backwards a few yards and stopped in front of my house. I took off the seat belt.

"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Flint," I said, hopping out.

"Yeah, you're welcome," he said. I closed the door behind me and Flint sped off away from view. He seemed nice, but even someone as bad with people as me could tell he carried a heavy burden on his back. Something with the way he carried himself was just… sad. I turned around and went inside my house.

* * *

I spotted Ninten sitting in the cafeteria during break the next day sipping a carton of juice. I tapped his shoulder and he half-turned towards me.

"Hey," he greeted with his usual smile, "Been waiting for you, Lloyd."

"Well, here I am," I said, pointing to myself before taking a seat in front of him, "So, what did you guys talk about?"

"I think 'guys' is too vague a term. Care to be more specific?"

"Uh, you said you wanted to talk to Ness after school yesteday?"

"Man, since when did you take interest in other people's business?"

I shot him an unimpressed look, only for his grin to take on an impish quirk.

"You promised you'd tell me," I said, arching an eyebrow. He rolled his eyes.

"He doesn't know anything about Lucas and his brother in case you were wondering," he said, "Obviously it wouldn't be something the twins would share with others that easily."

"Oh," I said, slightly disappointed. It seemed Ninten can't help me shed more light on the twins' chat yesterday.

"But I had an interesting chat with Poo. Just like I told ya, he's one hell of a psychic."

"You mentioned that."

"Uh huh, but I wanted to confirm it."

"You just asked out of the blue?"

"Nope. Ness told me so. The guy can't keep his trap shut."

"Heh. That does sound like Ness, all right."

"Anyway, what did you do after school?"

 _Oh, nothing. Just gave a bully an electric shock to the…_

"Nothing much. Stayed home alone all day."

"Damn, must've been boring."

"It was."

"Learned anything about the twins yourself?"

 _'If one word got out, I'll end you,'_ Claus' voice ominously flashed back to mind. I gulped.

"N-no," I squeaked, "They didn't talk much during the ride."

"I see," Ninten hummed, obviously seeing through the lie, but not commenting further. I quickly thought of a topic change.

"It's funny, isn't it?" I said nervously, "It's like we're girls looking for something to gossip about."

Ninten laughed at that.

"What can I say? That's the only form of entertainment in this stupid town."

"Excuse me," I said, feigning offense, "I am from this stupid town you're talking about."

Ninten picked out the straw from the juice carton and chewed at its tip.

"It's effectively boxed in by one landslide," he said, nibbling on the straw, "And it's the only place in the country where it is a bajillion degrees in August and snows by October."

"That's called continental climate. It's everywhere, not just here," I replied.

"You guys have nothing better to talk about than the weather?" A voice came from behind us, "Lame."

I turned around to see Ness standing behind me, holding a large cup of instant noodles. I rolled my eyes at the choice of flavor, which was beef. Poo stood next to him, sipping bottled water. Ness sat next to me while Poo assumed his seat next to Ninten.

"What are you guys up to?" Ninten asked.

"Coach O'Donnell tried talking Poo into taking up either football or baseball just now." Ness said with a shrug. Ninten dropped the straw from his mouth while I faced Ness with a disbelieving look. Coach _never_ asked a student to join a team before.

"No way," Ninten exclaimed, "What did you do?"

"Poo destroyed everyone in dodgeball," Ness said before Poo could open his mouth. Both Ninten and I gave Poo awed looks.

"And what did you say?" I asked.

"I told him I would think about it," Poo said with a nonchalant shrug, "I believe football does involve a lot of rigorous physical activity, yes?"

"No, you just chase around the field for a pigskin ball while jumping on a bunch of spandex-wearing dudes," Ness said, then took a noisy slurp from his noodles.

"I see," Poo hummed.

"It's basically rugby with body armor, right guys?" Ness joked, eliciting a glare from Ninten.

"Ness, shut up," Ninten replied, "Anyway, I think you're better off with baseball, since you have prior experience and all."

"I thought so myself," Poo replied, "Although I am not supposed to play sports to begin with, since I am supposed to be preparing for my pilgrimage."

"Well, you're attending school if that's not distracting enough from your pilgrimage," I said. His stoic face cracked into a half-smirk.

"That is against the pilgrimage rules too, but let us say I convinced my mentor to keep a loose leash on me this time around."

I blinked in confusion.

"How come a prince of a country isn't allowed education?"

"Mu pilgrims are required to visit areas that are mostly outside Dalaam yet they defeat the purpose of the pilgrimage with xenophobia. It is a glaring contradiction I believe it should not exist," he said with a steely edge to his tone, "I am going to learn everything about the world, and a decrepit old king will not stop me from doing so."

I don't think I've heard Poo speak with this much spirit before, which makes it obvious it's an issue he really cares about. Poo is quite the iconoclast then, which apparently put him at odds with his conservative father. I was going to say something before Ness slurped too loud in my ear, making the skin on my back crawl.

"Quit it!" I hissed, glaring sideways to Ness, who lifted the noodle cup from the table and took another slurp. I noticed a small ring of broth on the table where the cup was, and a few drops trickled down from its bottom and dripped on Ness' shorts.

"Problem?" He said haughtily. I kept staring at the drops sneaking from underneath the plastic cup.

"Your lunch is leaking, dumbass," Ninten said, pointing at the leaking cup.

* * *

"…And this is how we write those linear equations," The teacher said, ending her winding speech with a deep breath. She took a step back to examine the blackboard, now completely full with graphs and equations. I put down my pencil with a sigh, having copied everything as she spoke. The last bell for today rang, and the students hastily stuffed their things in their bags, eager to get out. The teacher hastily reminded us of the homework due next class. I packed up my notebook and pencils and exited as well, looking for the restroom before going to the buses.

I found the bullies from yesterday standing in front of some kid in the hallway. I instinctively flinched, stepping back before I saw the kid they were talking to, if 'talking' meant roughly shoving him towards the lockers.

Lucas? They must've cornered him when Claus wasn't around, since no sane person would think of bringing the ginger's wrath upon their heads. I felt anger well up in my chest. They must have decided that I wasn't worth the trouble, so they decided to pick on a new victim instead. I watched them shove Lucas again, this time his back was already against the metal closets, his eyes darted between them, looking for an opening to run away. I noticed the greasy-haired blond wasn't there this time around.

"Say, whatcha got there?" The shorter bully said, tugging at Lucas' arm. He pressed his back further against the wall with his hand stubbornly behind his back. The bully grew tired from trying to yank Lucas' immovable arm, so he landed a slap across Lucas' face. Lucas retaliated by punching him in the jaw, starting a brief scuffle between the two. The shorter bully took the punches and used his smaller height to his advantage, deftly plucking a wooden box from Lucas' grip. The other two grabbed Lucas' arms when he reached out to take his box back. The bully licked his mustache while examining the thing he managed to pilfer. He noticed a small metal crank on the side, identifying it as a music box of some sort. It looked fairly worn, but of sentimental value.

"That's what you were hiding? Damn," the bully said as the other two restrained Lucas from lashing out as he cursed at the bully, who eyed the wooden contraption with disdain.

"What a worthless piece of shit. I thought there was something worthwhile in there."

With one swift motion, he tossed the wooden box towards the trashcan, where it collided with the wall and landed in pieces inside the trash. Lucas suddenly stopped squirming, staring at the trashcan with wide eyes as he covered his mouth with both hands. The bully turned around.

"Tch, let's go," he commanded his goons, who left Lucas to slump against the lockers. When they passed by me, one of them shoved me aside with a "Beat it, freak!", making my shoulder painfully hit the wall. I winced, cussing under my breath. The horrified look in Lucas' eyes was still there, fixed at a point in the wall with chipped paint where the box hit it. He sunk down on his knees and burst into tears. I hurried towards him.

"D-don't cry, Lucas," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. I wasn't good with comforting people, so I wasn't sure what to say or do. Lucas violently pushed me in the chest with a hand, making me land on my rear.

"Go away!" he yelled, glaring daggers at me from behind his tears. The sight of a distraught Lucas was unnerving, and what was more unnerving that kids walked around us, completely ignoring Lucas. I got up and walked to the nearby trash can, taking a peek inside. I fished the music box remains from the mass of junk that filled the can. I inspected the damage; the top cover broke away at the hinge, and the small windup crank handle was broken. The mechanism inside was a little moved out of place, but mostly intact. I walked back to Lucas, approaching cautiously this time.

"H-hey, Lucas," I said hesitantly, holding out the box, "I can fix this for you."

He lifted his head to gaze at the box in my hand with his wide, teary blue eyes, then looked up at me.

"…You'd do that?" he said, his voice was small, yet hopeful. I smiled at him.

"Of course," I said, nodding. He smiled back, drying his face with his sleeve.

"Come on, you should wash your face," I told him as he got up.

* * *

During the bus ride, he told me his address, which was just around the corner from where I lived. I noticed Claus' absence, but didn't want to ask. Lucas offhandedly mentioned Claus was in detention for getting into a fight with some kid. That explained his absence, and why did the bullies feel safe to jump Lucas. We parted ways at the bus stop, and I promised him I'd fix the music box today, since he definitely looked hesitant to leave it in my hands. That seemed to placate him, or at least he stopped looking at my backpack where I placed the music box with lost, puppyish eyes.

At home, I quickly greeted my mom and climbed to my room, setting the damaged box parts gently on my desk. Now that I can examine it more carefully, it was a bulky box made from rosewood about six inches wide and four inches tall, with an ornate sunflower motif on the lid and a small nick on the side where it most likely hit the wall back at school. The inside of the lid had a small engraved text. I squinted to read.

'Wife of Flint, Mother of the twins Claus and Lucas. Daughter of Alec. May the beautiful Hinawa remain dear in our heart for all time.'

So this belonged to Lucas' late mother. No wonder it meant so much to him. The name 'Flint' rang a bell. Could that cowboy hat guy be Lucas' dad? The same guy who beat up Claus yet said he was proud of him? Maybe it was a coincidence, but who else has the name 'Flint' these days? I shelved the thought and examined the winding crank, which was snapped in half where it came in contact with a copper cylinder underneath. Here's something that has to be replaced. I don't think I have anything that could double as a windup crank. I scratched my head while pulling out my toolbox. There was a soldering iron dad got for me recently when I started experimenting with electronics.

An idea popped in my mind. I went downstairs to the dining room, where mom kept some trophies I won from science conventions and broke out the big one I got after winning first place at a memory contest. It had perfectly sized handles with a smooth cylindrical middle and an ornate enough top. I carried the trophy upstairs and used the soldering iron to break off one of the handles and smoothed the breakage point with a file and the soldering iron's tip. I bent the handle and got it into shape. Now I had to fix the mechanism inside, but that means I have to take it out from the box. Carefully, I unscrewed the points that held the insides at secure points and pulled upwards. The contents were surprisingly heavy. With a few careful tugs, I managed to take out the inner works, which were fastened to a flat, heavy metal baseplate with screws. I tightened up the screws and plucked away a few scraps of paper from the trashcan that were lodged here and there before refitting it with the handle-turned-crank. I gave it a test by turning the new crank a few times, then let go for it to play.

It played out the same melody I heard Lucas play the other day. I listened and cranked it again when the music stopped, watching it play over and over. It was a lovely tune that I could listen to for a while, but I had to fix the wooden box. I noticed a glossy edge of a photographic paper inside the the box, which was originally hidden by the flat baseplate.

"Hello there?" I murmured as I took out the photograph and turned it. It was frayed at the edges, and depicted a brunette woman in a red dress, sitting in a sunflower field and flashing the camera a stunning smile. I could see the similarity between her and the twins. Something about the eyes and the general face look. There were several other pictures too. The second one showed Hinawa and a much younger Claus and Lucas in front of a wooden farmhouse, a brown puppy sleepily napped in the corner of the picture. The next picture left me gaping at it. It was Hinawa and Flint. The guy from the factory district himself!

Although I could totally tell he looked way happier in the photo, he even had more weight and stood with more strength in his posture as he stood behind Hinawa and placed a hand over her shoulder, the other wrapped around her waist while she looked back at him with pure love in her eyes, her flowing hair waved with the wind. I hastily picked up the remaining photos and placed them aside, busying myself with fixing the broken hinges, which required a replacement. I asked mom to drive me to the department store, and she agreed as long as I helped her with her shopping. I whined in protest, but agreed nonetheless. I got too liberal with purchases and got some teak oil and sandpaper as well since they were there, and mom didn't mind.

By the time I came back home with the new hinges and completely reassembled the box and polished the exterior, a bleary look at the clock indicated it was already evening. I lifted my head, rubbing my sore neck. I forgot to return the photos back in the box, but I figured Lucas can put them back anytime later. I placed the box in my backpack and placed the photos neatly in my notebook, before quickly putting on my shoes and telling mom I was delivering something to a classmate. She told me not to stay out too long.

I was surprised to find out Lucas' house was actually just around the corner from where I lived. A brown Retriever dog eyed me with disinterest from its shelter as I approached the front door and knocked twice after a moment of hesitation. I took a step back and waited. Claus opened the door, looking a bit surprised at seeing me of all people.

"What are you doing here?" he said. I fidgeted at the gruff reception.

"Um, is- is Lucas here?" I asked. Claus narrowed his eyes.

"What do want from him?" he said while slowly narrowing the door in my face.

"Claus? Who's at the door?" I heard Lucas' voice approach. Claus looked behind his shoulder.

"It's Lloyd. The kid from school," Claus said.

"Oh, good," Lucas came behind his twin and swung the door open, "Come on in, Lloyd."

"Uh, okay," I said, tentatively looking at Claus, who crossed his arms and walked away. I stepped inside, noticing the house was fairly clean for a single father and his two sons. The open kitchen-and-living room in front of me was basically spotless.

"Lucas here is a neat freak," Claus said, noticing me looking around, "In case you're wondering how come this house ain't a pigsty."

"Claaaaaus!" Lucas whined. Claus gave his twin a mischievous grin.

"Say, what brings you to our 'humble abode', Lloyd?" Claus asked, doing an air quote gesture as he spoke ' _humble abode_ '. I looked at Lucas, unsure whether I should tell him.

"He was fixing mom's music box," Lucas said, then gave me a pointed look, "Right?"

" _You broke mom's music box_?" Claus screamed, grabbing Lucas by the collar. I winced, totally expecting the reaction.

"No, I didn't. I was jumped by some guys. They broke it," Lucas said flatly. Claus' mouth opened wide, loosening his grip on Lucas' shirt.

"What!" he exclaimed, "And you didn't tell me that, why?"

"You were already in detention, Claus. I can't risk you getting suspended for defending me."

"Don't bullshit me, Lucas," Claus said, wagging a finger in his twin's face, "I can't have spineless bullies jump _my_ brother. Give me their names and I swear to God I'll gut them."

"I don't know who they are, alright?" Lucas shrugged, "But hey, no harm done. Lloyd you did fix it, right?"

I jumped slightly, fishing out the music box. "T-that's right. I got it right… right here."

Claus shook his head and stomped to the kitchen while Lucas took the box from my hand, eyeing the exterior, the new crank and everything.

"Wow," he said in an impressed voice, "Looks good as new!"

He turned the crank and listened. A smile drew on his face.

"It's… Thank you so much, Lloyd," he said, looking at me with happy eyes, "That's the only thing we have left from mom. I don't know what I would've done without it."

"Yeah, she was really beautiful," I said. Lucas' smile dropped, giving me a confused look. Claus poked his head out from the fridge, furrowing his eyebrows in the same confused fashion.

"The hell you're talking about?" Claus said, a stick of sliced carrot poking from his mouth. An awkward flush heated my face.

"I- I mean, she looks real pretty in the photos—"

"PHOTOS?" The twins cried out in unison. Wait, they didn't know?

"Hold on. You guys don't know about the pictures inside the box?" I asked, reaching for my notebook and taking out the pics I found and showed them to Lucas. He gasped, drawing his palms together and covered his mouth and nose. Claus scrambled to gawk at the photos from behind his twin's shoulder.

"H-holy crap," Claus breathed, "That's mom, Lucas."

Lucas only nodded.

"That's how mom looked like," Claus said softly, "I actually started to forget how she looked like!"

Lucas nodded again, looking a moment away from bursting into tears. Claus gently took the photos from my hands.

"Look, that's our old house. Check out Boney, he was so cute," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. He wiped at the corner of his eye, "Holy shit."

I smiled and cast down my gaze, allowing them some semblance of privacy. Listening to them reminisce about the photos was a little weird, since it was like hearing a single person talk to himself. Claus had a marginally higher pitch than Lucas, though. My thoughts were interrupted when four gangly arms wrapped me in a choking bear hug. The two twins spoke at once in my ears, their voices merged indistinctly.

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you—"

"We had no idea, man—"

"T-too tight. Can't breathe," I managed to get out, tapping one of their arms. They let me go, Claus was red in the nose and his eyes were a little bloodshot. Without the usual standoffish disposition, he looked like an exact copy of his twin at that moment, and the two had the same smile I saw on Hinawa's face in the photo. Claus set down the photographs next to the music box and winded it up, listening to the melody again. A second into the melody, the front door was abruptly swung open by a definitely drunk-looking Flint. He staggered forward, slamming the door behind him. Lucas recoiled and hid behind Claus, who shot his father a dirty scowl. Flint stopped, his drunken senses finally registered the tune played out by the music box. He turned livid.

"Shut… Shut that fuckin' music up!" he slurred incoherently, swinging a fist in the air, knocking his cowboy hat sideways. I withdrew behind Lucas, staring at him with wide eyes. Claus mirrored the resentful look on his father's face.

"Goddammit, you're fucking hammered again!" Claus yelled into his father's face. Flint's eyebrows knit together.

"Don't -hic-, you speak to yer father like that, you little… shit," Flint said slowly. Claus flashed his teeth in a snarl.

"You're no father of mine if you're getting plastered every other night, _Flint!_ " he growled, approaching the man. Lucas looked on helplessly.

"Claus… Dad," he mouthed weakly, watching the two bicker. Their voices grew louder, and Flint looked an inch away from throttling Claus. I screwed my eyes shut and clenched my hands into tight fists, gritting my teeth.

" _ENOUGH!_ " I screamed, startling even myself. The three of them flinched and whipped their eyes towards me. The music box had stopped playing, resulting in a deathly silence looming over our heads. Flint had a look of surprise behind the inebriated haze in his eyes.

"Kid? What're you doing here?" he asked. Lucas shifted his eyes between me and Flint.

"You know each other?" he asked. I ignored the question, levelling a reproachful look at Flint.

"You promised you were going to make it up for your kids, sir," I said, feeling my pulse thump heavily, "Y-you promised you'll be a better parent, too."

The look on Flint's face was lost.

"I… did," he said with a hollow voice. The twins looked thoroughly befuddled, since they obviously had no idea I encountered Flint before. I was beyond the point of caring anyway.

"I understand how you feel," I said reluctantly, "But you aren't being up to your word when you—"

"No, you don't understand how I feel," Flint yelled, smashing his fist into the nearby table, rattling the music box and knocking the photos to the floor. Claus jumped there and picked them up.

"Every second," Flint said, his voice slightly calmer, "Whenever I close my eyes. I can't get my wife's face out of my mind. I watched her die with my own eyes. AND YOU'RE SAYING YOU GODDAMN GET HOW I FEEL?"

I cowered back, feeling dread bristle the hairs on the back of my neck.

"I only drink so I could forget her," he gritted, "I don't want her smile to haunt me anymore. You won't understand that, kid."

"That's not fair," Claus said, giving his father a bitter smirk, "Lucas and I already forgot how she even looked like."

He picked up a photograph and showed it to his parent. Somehow, I knew it was the one showing Flint and Hinawa together.

"I knew a man I used to look up to," he said in a level voice, "This man was dependable and strong, not the sorry excuse of a drunkard I'm looking at right now."

Flint stared at the photo with huge eyes, surprised wrinkles appearing on his forehead, then closed his eyes and bowed his head in shame. Claus grabbed his father by the shoulders.

"Where is that man, _dad_?" he demanded. When Flint brought up his hands, I flinched back, totally expecting him to hit Claus. Instead, he wrapped his arms around his son's neck and pulled him into an embrace.

"I'm so sorry, son," Flint said shakily, "I let you boys down. I let Hinawa down."

A man reduced to tears is never an easy sight, I thought. Claus stood still for a moment. Even while standing stiff at his full height, Claus' forehead barely reached the man's shoulders. He slowly wrapping his own arms around his drunk father's frame, tapping his back.

* * *

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Lucas said at the doorstep. I brushed a foot back and forth on the ground, a bashful blush colored my cheeks.

"No, I should apologize for butting in you guys' personal matters," I said, before I looked up at Lucas with a panicked expression, "I-I won't tell anybody, though."

Lucas only chuckled, shaking his head a little.

"Of course, silly. But you didn't tell me how come you met my dad," he said with a quirked eyebrow.

"Oh, right. I got lost last night and he gave me a ride home."

"I see," He nodded before giving me a grateful smile.

"Thanks. You really helped me today," he said, "You fixed mom's keepsake and got dad back to his senses. I really appreciate what you did."

"Aw shucks, I didn't do anything," I said, rubbing the back of my head, "I got to go. Goodnight, Lucas."

"Okay, see you. Bye," he replied before closing the door behind him. I walked out, the brown labrador gave me a curious glance this time. I think this was the same pup from the pictures. It's strange how much he'd grown. How much the twins have grown since then.

"Time certainly flies, doesn't it, doggy?" I asked the dog, who only cocked his head and let out a confused whine. I gave him a smile and left the front lawn.

* * *

 **A/N: Of course I hadn't forgotten about this fanfic. I just... Had a bad case of procrastinationitis. It's a serious disease that needs to be cured... sometime later.**

 **Anyway. Phew, that was a lot of drama in this chapter. O_O**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Guest:**

 **Haha, I'm surprised you actually liked Ninten/Ana, since most people think it's canon, therefore by definition unoriginal or cliché. Glad you liked it nonetheless. :D**

 **I think you need to understand where Flint is coming from, he's not ignoring his only remaining son out of spite, but some people have bad reactions to grief. I like to imagine Flint as being one of those people, and he had a _lot_ of grieve about in the game. He's one of the saddest characters in the whole series imo.**

 _ **Connor the speling pro:**_

 **I forgot everything about Taylor Series by the time I finished Calculus. XD I think it can be used to approximate analytic functions and solutions for differential equations, but eh. I didn't like it that much either. :P**

 **Weeell... They are different stories with the same characters. (With a world difference in personalities, I mean look at Ness! XD) The similarities come from that, and possibly the same teens-with-PSI theme generally applicable to most Earthbound fanfics.**

 **Flint did beat up Claus, and yeah few fanfics depict Flint as a good dad, which he wasn't really in the game. Berserker Tears are the worst.**

 **Yeah, I think someone trying to break into your home is quite a rattling experience. Graphite has free electrons which makes it conductive, but it's about ten times weaker than copper. (If my memory didn't fail me)**

 _ **StickOfTruth:**_

 **Cliché or not, Flint-as-a-bad-dad is really appealing. I mean, imagine an AU with Flint being an actually decent dad from the start. Doesn't compute, right? XD**

 **Well, here's a spotlight-ish chapter for the twins. I think this isn't the end of their involvement, but they'll recede from the front for a bit.**

 **Lloyd asked the same question, but was deflected with a snarky reply. Guess we won't know yet.**

 **I don't know why I laughed so hard at "A Franklin badge on the inside of the bully's-" XD Well, pencil leads aren't as efficient as metal, but this is a fictional AU, so you could ignore how the bully didn't die. (Or how Lloyd drove the pencils into the electric sockets since come to think of it, American power sockets are narrow slits, unlike the UK ones, which are rectangular and big enough to accommodate a pencil)**

 **Ana did tell Ninten she had a dream of him return the hat (He even had a goofy Peanuts-esque grin in the dream flashback) which was a fairly eye roll-worthy moment in the game. Can't say it wasn't endearing though.**

 **Well, I quote myself again, "A prequel, it isn't." Although you must've figured it out by now. :P**

 **South Park - I agree, the new format this season is a refreshing change of pace. And I agree again: PC Principal should meet a nasty, ignominious demise. He gets on my nerves every single time his ugly mug shows up. I haven't watched the latest episode yet, but the "Leslie" running gag was hilarious. Yeah, the Craig x Tweek shtick could've been worse. I mean, I've made a mistake and read some really harrowing stuff over at AO3. *Shudders* But yeah, a huge part of SP's unique appeal is that they actually respond to/parody real-life. I wasn't really surprised when they finally decided to parody their own fans, but it's definitely an original spin.**


	15. Chapter 15 - A Boy Named Poo

**Chapter 15 - A Boy Named Poo**

 **December 10, 199X**

It's been a couple months since I had fixed Lucas' music box. Claus and Lucas had returned to their normal dispositions; Lucas no longer had the creepy mood swings and Claus reverted back to being the overprotective big brother who liked skipping classes. He no longer showed up to school with bruises on his face. In short, the twins were back to normal.

Meanwhile, Poo took up coach O'Donnell's request and joined the school's baseball team. Ninten and I would sometimes watch him and Ness do their thing on the field with some other kids. I still had zero knowledge of the game, but Ninten tried explaining the game rules to me as we watched Poo bat away all the balls Ness pitched at him.

"Okay, stop," I finally said, interrupting one of Ninten's lectures, "I'll never get this game."

Ninten crossed his legs and leaned back on the stiff, cold bleachers, "I totally understand if sport isn't your forte, Lloyd."

"It's not," I said, watching Poo bat another ball and run around the field as his side hooted in approval. Was that a home run? Were they even doing home runs now?

"Poo's way too good at this," Ninten commented, "If he keeps improving like that, I think he should totally go professional."

"He's that good?"

"Mhm. Ness pitches a mean ball," he said, "Yet Poo bats them all away like they're nothing. Add the fact he hadn't been playing baseball for long, either."

"Ohh," I tried to sound impressed, but I was more interested in a loose molar on my upper jaw which had been bugging me through the week. I poked at it with my tongue, feeling it rotate almost in a full circle. Ninten shot me a smirk.

"You're _so_ into it, aren't you," he said that in a statement more than a question, "Why do you even come and watch them play if it bores you to tears?"

"Hm. That's a really good question," I said, rubbing my chin, "I might have secret masochistic tendencies."

Ninten looked dumbfounded, "Maso-huh?"

"Um, never mind."

"Whatever you say, Lloyd."

I pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"Why aren't you down there playing as well? Aren't you also good at baseball?"

He looked cross for a split-second, before he mirrored my expression from earlier.

"Hm. That's a really good question," he parroted, "I might have asthma, which made me… I don't know, _quit playing?_ "

I slapped both hands to my face, thoroughly mortified.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I-I… I didn't mean to…"

Ninten only chuckled and playfully punched my arm, "No biggie, Lloyd."

No biggie? I made fun of your asthma!

Of course, the half-thoughts, apologies and excuses crashed into each other inside my head, with me ending up mimicking a fish out of the water, opening my mouth and closing it again.

"You don't need to get so worked up over it," Ninten said nonchalantly, "If I had a penny for every time Minnie and Mimmie teased me over my asthma, I'd have a million."

"Gee, that's a lot of pennies," I said, latching on the subject as a life float. Ninten lifted an eyebrow.

"I meant a million dollars," he said with a pointed look.

"…I see."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence ensued for a while. I've completely lost interest in watching the practice in front of me, so I busied myself with watching my breath condense. I took a deep breath, then slowly let it out, almost mesmerized by the way slow puffs of breath condensed on my glasses, creating a layer of fog that blurred the world from my eyes. I picked the glasses and rubbed the condensation away from the lenses with the hem of my hoodie. I slid my glasses back on my face. I winced at the cold frame freezing my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose. I heard Ninten let out an amused snort, then he returned to watching the other kids. I toyed again with my loose tooth, pushing at it with the tip of my tongue. It suddenly came off with a slight taste of blood, resting against the inside of my cheek.

"Oh," I managed to get out. Ninten gave me a quizzical 'Hm', then furrowed his eyebrows when I reached inside my mouth to pick out the lost tooth.

"I lost a tooth," I said matter-of-factly, examining the baby molar between my forefinger and thumb. Ew, the thing was red from the inside and almost hollow.

"Hahaha, cool!" Ninten exclaimed, leaning over to take a better look, "Which one is it?"

"I think it's a molar," I said, pulling back my left cheek to expose the gap, "It's my last baby tooth."

"Well, congratulations," he said, leaning back, "What are you gonna do with it?"

I pulled out a tissue and carefully placed the former tooth inside, then pocketed it.

"Dunno, maybe dispose of it someplace proper," I said, "It doesn't feel right to just chuck it away here."

Looking up, the players seemed to have wrapped up. We caught up with Ness and Poo afterwards. The other three talked about the practice, while I listened idly. It felt like being left out, but guess I had to have some baseball know-how first if I wanted to take part in their little chat.

"Say, Poo," Ninten said after a short lull in their conversation, "How are your preparations going? I mean the Mount Itoi thing."

"I am ready to leave for the summit", Poo said, "But I need to inform my mentor, first."

"When?" I piped up, "Are you gonna phone him today?"

Poo looked surprised for a second, then his usually stoic face broke into an uncharacteristic grin. Before I knew it, the Dalaamian prince burst into hearty laughter.

"Phone him," he repeated through his fit, "Phone him, you say."

Ninten and Ness gawked at him warily as if he'd just lost his mind. I shot him an annoyed glare.

"Ah, you are too much, kid," he gasped, shaking his head. I noted his accent was thicker than usual. My glare died down into an unimpressed gaze. I crossed my arms in annoyance. I failed to notice what was so funny about phones anyway.

"I… I apologize," Poo said after managing to compose himself, "I have a better idea than a phone call, though."

"Okay?" I said, narrowing my eyes at the momentary smirk when he said 'phone call'.

"I am going to Dalaam tomorrow," he said, reverting to his usual polite demeanor, "If you guys wish to accompany me there, you are welcome to come along."

"How?" Ninten, Ness and I asked in unison.

"Teleportation PSI," Poo said simply, "I go to Dalaam once a week, so it would not be much of an effort to teleport with you three."

" _That's_ why you don't show up on Sundays," Ness said, eyes lit up in realization.

"Yes," Poo nodded, "So? Are you okay with a visit to Dalaam for a day?"

"Sure, I guess," Ninten said.

"I'm alright with that," Ness agreed and I nodded in assent. A visit to Dalaam, and invited by the crown prince no less. I'd be stupid to say no to that.

"Good," Poo seemed satisfied, "I have to go now. I will call you three tomorrow."

Ha! Joke's on him; he had to use a phone anyway.

* * *

The next morning, Poo called me to 'accompany him on a walk through the hills nearby.' He wanted Ness, Ninten and I to wait for him at the bus stop next to the school building. It was a chilly Sunday morning, and his formal voice over the phone barely registered in my sleep-addled brain. I dumbly listened to the dial tone for a minute after Poo had hung up, then everything he said clicked in.

Why so early? I groaned and put down the receiver. My bloodshot eyes vaguely informed me the clock pointed at half-past six in the morning. This is madness, and I was stupid for actually pulling on something warm to wear and grabbing my shoes, before exiting the house, grumbling to myself about polite Chommo folk who liked to phone people at the crack of dawn. I didn't remember giving out my phone number to Poo, but maybe he got it from Ninten or Ness earlier.

When I reached the bus stop, I found the two cap-wearing boys already waiting by the stop sign. They looked more or less fully alert at this ungodly hour. They must have slept for more than three hours last night, so no wonder. I unhinged my jaws in an enormous yawn, barely making an effort to hide my maw from view with my fingers.

"Morning," I slurred through my yawn. Ninten stared at me, while Ness mirrored my yawn.

"Wow, you look like a mess," Ness said, smacking his lips, "You're so sleepy it's making _me_ feel sleepy."

I was about to reply before Ninten walked past me to lean at the stop sign.

"Well, Poo called us here but he's nowhere to be seen," Ninten said, "He should've been more punctual, don't you think?"

I grunted in agreement and tugged at my hoodie's drawstrings, scrunching the hood behind my neck. Ninten flashed me a crooked grin.

"Seriously. How long have you slept last night?"

I lifted three limp fingers at Ninten, not bothering to speak.

"Three hours, eh?" Ness said, "That's about your average hours of sleep. No big deal."

My hand travelled towards Ness' general direction, then my index and ring fingers drew back, leaving the middle finger sticking out in a rude gesture. The two of them seemed shellshocked, before they let out a barrage of amused giggles. It took me a second to realize I had actually flipped Ness off, but I chose not to dwell further on that.

"Dammit, where is Poo?" Ness tapped his foot impatiently.

"Just what kind of name is 'Poo'?" I said, "I mean, his name's pretty strange, right?"

"I'm gonna go on a limb and say his name means 'valiant warrior' or something like that in his language," Ninten said.

"You would be surprised," a voice replied, "But my name means absolutely nothing in our tongue."

I looked behind me, where Poo rounded a corner, approaching us. He was dressed in traditional Dalaamian clothes — all-white kung-fu wear.

"About time," Ninten said, "We thought you ditched us."

"We were having fun anyway," Ness said, "Lloyd here was joking about your name."

I shot Ness an indignant look. "I was not!"

"I know," Poo said, "As I said, my name really has no meaning in Dalaamian. Mu literally means 'nothing', and the best Mu disciples were either nameless or held meaningless names. Mine happens to be the latter."

"Uh, I think you probably know what your name might mean in English," Ninten said a little carefully.

"Indeed. My country was dealing with an epidemic of dysentery when I was born."

The three of us gave him a wide-eyed stare.

"That was a joke," Poo finally said with a deadpan.

"It's too early for that," I whined. My brain wasn't fully awake yet to process Poo's disconcerting sense of humor. He rolled his eyes and motioned for us to follow him.

The walk actually helped waking me up. I was no longer drowsy or half-clouded by sleep. When we walked by my former school, I gazed up at the tall building that housed Twinkle Elementary. I think I've probably spent more time hiding on the roof than in class back then. I tore my eyes away from the building and fixed them to the ground.

A few minutes later, we were standing in a wide clearing, with Poo instructing us to hold each other's hand.

"Why are we doing this?" Ninten said.

"Are we gonna dance in a circle and sing Kumbaya ?" Ness quipped.

"Sadly, no," Poo replied, taking Ness' hand. Ness' other hand took Ninten's, who gripped Yours Truly's with his other hand, forming a queue.

"Now, please clear your mind from all thoughts," Poo said.

I curiously looked at Poo at the lead, who closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration for a few moments. Ninten and Ness followed suit and closed their eyes.

"Teleport," he said. Then it happened.

Even someone who didn't possess PSI like me could sense the surge of energy emitted from Poo, causing the dirt under his feet to kick up into a small cloud and emitting a faint humming sound. He slowly placed a foot in front of the other, climbing an invisible staircase. He picked up in speed, dragging us along as he climbed the air in a spiral. The faint sound grew louder and higher in pitch, culminating into a booming sound. Then there was a flash of light, forcing me to screw my eyes shut. The air abruptly became colder and drier as our running slowed down to a walk.

"Oh my god!" Ninten and Ness cried out.

I hesitantly cracked opened an eye. We weren't in the clearing anymore. The clearing was replaced by sheer cliffs everywhere, with an enormous exotic-looking building just above from where we stood, dimly glowing under the sunset.

"Is… Is this what I think it is?" I asked breathlessly.

"If you think you are in Dalaam, then yes," Poo replied calmly, "Welcome to my hometown."

"Whoa!" Ninten exclaimed, "Did we just teleport across the earth?"

"Although we should have ended up inside the palace," Poo said, giving me a pointed look, "Clearly someone had a lot on his mind."

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly, "Sorry."

We followed behind the prince, with me walking while staring at the stony ground in front of my feet. Ninten noticed and stopped in front of me.

"Lloyd," he said in a disapproving tone, "You didn't come here to look at your shoes. Lift your head up and look around."

"Huh?" I blinked in confusion, then it registered. I wasn't even looking around myself. I followed behind, taking in the stunning view in the distance. We were literally above the clouds. I've only seen this view from an airplane, but to see it on foot was something else. I should look around more often if it meant stunning views like this. Ninten slowed down halfway through the inclined path, visibly winded.

"Huff. Slow... down... guys," he panted, placing his hands on his knees. I approached him and patted him on the back.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Air here is... much lighter than I'm used to," he gulped. Poo stopped and turned around.

"You will get used to it," he said, "The palace is right in front of us."

"There's no one around us now," Ness noted, "Nobody's even outside."

"I do not expect a welcoming party, and I cannot guarantee the people's reaction upon seeing you three," Poo said, then turned his head towards me, "I am especially worried about what they might think of Lloyd."

"Me?" I asked, pointing a finger at myself. Poo nodded.

"Yes. They might be superstitious about your… unique skin and hair, but I hope it would not be much of a problem."

"What's wrong with him?" Ninten said.

"Albinos are unheard of in Dalaam," Poo explained, "And people with very pale skin are believed to be spirits of the dead. At best, they might think of him as the spirit of a deceased elder."

"Could've been worse," Ness said with a nonchalant shrug, "In some parts of Africa, they'd chop him up and use his body parts as magical lucky charms or something."

I let out a terrified squeak, "I'm standing right here."

"Well," Ninten said, placing a reassuring arm on my shoulder, "We'll make sure they don't do anything to you, okay?"

"Just make sure you keep taking deep breaths first, Ninten," Ness joked, earning himself a glare and a shove from Ninten. When we reached the gate, I noticed there were two guards standing at attention. They stiffened when they saw Poo, then stepped aside to allow us in after a curt greeting.

I followed closely behind Ninten, looking at the exotic, luxurious interior of the palace. Everyone around us, regardless of how old or how well-dressed they were, gave a deferential bow to Poo as he walked by, their eyes curiously followed the three foreigners behind him. The smell of incense permeated through the air, and lanterns hung from the high ceiling.

(Oh god, are those elephant statues made of gold?)

I stopped to examine one of the statues. I traced a finger on the golden trunk, then looked down at the marble base, where an inscription in Dalaamian was engraved. I stepped back, only to bump into someone behind me. I turned around to see a boy who looked and dressed a lot like Poo, only slightly younger, possibly my age. The boy looked down at his crossed arms in distaste, as if disgusted that I had accidentally touched him, before fixing me with angry eyes.

"Um, I - sorry I bumped into you," I said hesitantly. He burst into a stream of yells in Dalaamian, shoving me in the shoulder.

Poo caught the small scene and hurried over, placing himself between me and the angry kid. He said something to the other boy, who eyed me up and down then glanced at Ninten and Ness.

"Foreigners are not welcomed here," he spat, before stomping away from view. Poo sighed and placed a hand on his face.

"I apologize," Poo said, "That was Kato. My half-brother."

"Really nice kid," Ness said dryly.

"He is foolishly closed-minded and unnecessarily conservative," Poo said darkly, "He is a strong believer in my father's traditionalist views."

"And you don't?" I asked.

"What do you think?" Poo said with a wry smirk, "Dalaam is the only nation left where we have strict castes and the king actually has to sit on a throne."

He shook his head and motioned for us to follow him down the carpeted hall, eventually going through a wide archway.

We stood in a huge courtroom with lavish decorations everywhere. An ancient-looking man dressed in yellow robes sat on a large throne, propping his head on an elbowed, wrinkly arm. A meticulously drawn Eastern dragon was depicted on the wall above the throne, circling a giant symbol written in charcoal ink.

無

Poo approached the throne, then prostrated himself on the shiny floor, placing his forehead on one of the steps which led to the throne. The centenarian king nodded at his son, who lifted his head and stood up. The king's wizened eyes travelled towards us, his expression changed into a shocked stare once he saw Ninten and Ness, abruptly standing up, provoking the attention of everyone in the hall.

"George!" he bellowed, pointing at Ninten.

* * *

 **Author Note: Hi. :) Back after more than two weeks of disappearance (almost two months for this fanfic). Well, a few months back, my laptop hard drive died, and I lost the story files. It was really frustrating to rewrite everything back from memory. I improvised along the way too. This chapter is a little short, but I've been a little busy in addition of a writer's block. The whole idea was in my head, but I just couldn't put it on paper. Er, keyboard.**

 **As for the little OC character here, "Kato" is one of the default names you can choose for Poo.**

 **Review Responses: [There's a good chance you guys had** **forgotten what you said, but anyway. :P]**

 _ **Connor the speling pro:**_

 **Mobile phones can sense when you need them the most and then die or become agonizingly slow. It's consistent that way. ;)**

 **There's a fine hair between 'too much drama' and 'just right drama'. I'm trying my best not to cross it.**

 **Lloyd's formality around his father may be because he doesn't see him often. I totally grill my dad over grammar mistakes. Glad to know I'm not the only one who does that. XD**

 **I like the idea of a reformist Poo. Dalaam needs to shed some of its antiquated traditions, no?**

 **Yeah, I should do more than one proofread if I want to get all the kinks in grammar. Thanks for the tip. :)**

 _ **Ender2142:**_

 **Back when you wrote a review, you were still writing as a guest. Oh my gosh, this is the first chapter update since you made an account! O_O**

 **Fanfic writers tend to malign Flint for some reason. Maybe the Tanetane islands encounter (which is a projection of Lucas' psyche, not the real world) painted him in a bad light, but eh. And no, I think the Mother 3 Love Theme isn't good for a music box. The actual music box piece in the game was "Letter to You, My Sweet". Although Gentle Rain would've filled the place as well. The video you talked about had the cutest animation ever.**

 **Huh. I don't remember featuring Pokey in this fanfic. The (unnamed - think of a name, idk XD) blond bully was described as tall, thin, with greasy hair, so doesn't sound like Pokey in the slightest. You can think of him as Pokey if you like. It would be totally in character for him to be the Evil Sidekick, don't you think? :P**

 _ **happypotato:**_

 **Why, thank you. I'm glad you like this story. :)**

 _ **StickOfTruth:**_

 **Overprotective!Claus Means Business. *boss music plays* I think if he caught the bullies in the act, things would be really ugly. Add Ninten and Ness to the protective brigade, we'd have an all-out war!**

 **Lloyd deserves the twins' favour now. The trophy breaking thing actually comes from the Mother** **Encyclopaedia, where it says that Lloyd used up his trophies in experiments, leaving only the stand. It does make him sound like a 'work-for-the-sake-of-work' guy.**

 **Yeah. Go, Poo! Down with the outdated, hypocritical traditions! :D**

 **Flint's image depends on where you look. He's distant and neglectful in canon, but not abusive. Although Lucas has a deep fear of abuse by his dad - you know, Tanetane. While in fanfic, Flint's generally abusive. He's even more different in the case of Slash fanfics, he's overly nice and accepting (e.g. of his son(s)' orientation), but that's possibly because whoever wrote the story didn't want the dramatic side story of a rejecting father. *shrug***

 **I still think Flint would totally turn to drinking if he had to leave Tazmily. In both of my fanfics, Nowhere Islands are off the coast of Foggyland, which is based on Europe. They're too few and remote, so their diaspora is too lightly scattered. VERY loosely based on Jews or Gypsies, although they're well-assimilated because they don't look very different. Tazmily does look like a pre-industrial American/European settlement. From what I can recall, Yado Inn had a rack with bottles and a cask, so we can surmise that Tazmilites are aware of grown-up drinks. Not that it's enough to give them tolerance, but Flint didn't die from too many drinks, right? :P**

 **The electric socket specifics came to mind well after I had published that chapter. I imagined a UK socket, which is rectangular and wide-spaced. North American sockets are too narrow to fit a pencil through. Either the pens are too thin, or that _specific_ socket happened to be big enough to accommodate pencils. Call it a headscratcher if you like. XD**

 **Oh man, I don't think I can have that much patience trying to level up everyone to 99. I mean, the basic amount of grinding in Mother 1 was too much. The game itself is tough, demanding and it needs a lot of patience that I don't usually have. The easy ROM hack made it a little easier and cut some grinding time.**

 **South Park: The last season was... weird. XD I admit there were tons of funny moments, and the Jenner-car-murder running gag was funny and horrible. The indifference of everyone else in the car made it even better/worse. And yeah, ads are the real-world Happy Boxes. Even tailored to your preferences! Leslie was a walking, talking Happy Box.**

 _ **Phoesong:**_

 **Hey, Phoesong. :)**

 **I totally get it if you're busy. I mean, premed doesn't allow much free time to get on this site, or write reviews and stories for the matter.**

 **Haha, I learned my lesson and won't do 20 hours next semester. Perhaps 18 or less. I can see how your roommate studies physics all the time. After a while they just expect you to know everything about physics and won't bother with the extensive basics behind various concepts. They won't explain the Reciprocity Theorem or Nyquist's rate twice. ¬.¬**

 **I'm happy you liked the implicit humour in the chapter. I totally agree, Snarky Ninten is the funniest Ninten.**

 **Done. "Cleaning freak" changed into "neat freak". This kind of subtle slang/idioms escapes me sometimes. I need to brush up on those since English isn't my first language either. Although I'm surprised English isn't your native language, because your writing is really good. O_O**

 **Yeah, Lloyd probably averted a disaster by fixing the music box. Had Lloyd not fixed it? Hmm.. Flint would've barrelled in, totally smashed. Claus yells at him, escalating into a fight. Lucas watches Flint beat the snot out of Claus. Without the comfort of his mother's box, he'd 'break' and either go ballistic on the other two, or run away. That's just a scenario off the top of my head.**

 **I know, slash fic is popular with the ladies here, but some of the pairings you see here are downright wrong. I wonder how did Ms. Marshmallow x Masked Man come into existence. No, scratch that. I don't wanna know! XD**

 _ **Happier:**_

 ***"Never Gonna Give You Up" plays in my head.* I won't give up on this story. I'll try posting more often from now on.**


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